Some people have received e-mails from Hotmail staff telling them they will soon have to start paying for their e-mail accounts.

The message is backed up with a link to an article on the BBC website - however, the article is five years out of date and describes an idea Microsoft had once considered for their e-mail service but never actually implemented.

The message is in fact a fake, a chain e-mail for you to pass on to anyone you know with the purpose to cause concern and to encourage people to leave Hotmail.

Many people realised that the e-mail was not genuine due to the way in which it was written, and also that the BBC article has an outdated design and does not look like the current BBC site design. It is also extremely unlikely that Microsoft would begin charging for Hotmail accounts that were previously free.

However, other people may have been fooled so if you do receive this e-mail, do not pass it on to anyone else and instead let people know it is fake. The BBC's news page has more information about this prank: BBC news article

Related ECT Tips : set up a Hotmail e-mail account