Verify E-Mail Address?

[gamehead200]

Just a few minutes ago, I was logging into MSN Messenger and got a message saying there was a problem with a passport and to press OK to continue. It brought me to the .NET Passport page (yes, an authentic one) and asked me to verify my e-mail address. I verified it and everything went back to normal. All my groups and contacts were still there, so no problem. What I found strange is that I verified my e-mail address a really long time ago.

Did this happen to anyone else and does anyone know why this might have happened?

[Doggie]

well knowing you dont have a msn.com or hotmail.com email address, it can happen.. i wouldnt be surprised if the passport system was updated and probably a handful of people had to re-register..

[gamehead200]

But all my contacts were still there... I just received this:

Hello ***@sympatico.ca:

This is an important message from Microsoft concerning the Microsoft .NET Passport account associated with your sympatico.ca e-mail address.

Both Microsoft and Bell Canada are committed to simplifying your online experience.  Therefore we are taking efforts to ensure that active Bell Sympatico Internet customers can continue to use the .NET Passport that is associated with their sympatico.ca e-mail address. 

Since there is a Passport account associated to your Sympatico e-mail address, we ask that you please verify that you are the user of the Passport account and that you give consent to Bell Canada to manage your Microsoft .NET Passport account. It's a quick and easy process to verify your account.

Instructions on how to verify your account are below, as well as some important questions and answers.

To verify your Passport account:

1. In your Web browser, type passport.net in the Address bar and press Enter.

2. On the Passport home page, click the Sign In button, and sign in to your Passport account.

3. Follow the instructions to verify your e-mail address.

If you did not register the Passport using this e-mail address, or if you do not agree to give Bell Canada consent to manage your Passport account, take no action, and we will disable the Passport account 20 days from the date this message was sent. This will have no affect on your Sympatico subscription or sympatico.ca e-mail address.

To request additional help from Passport Customer Support, click http://***.'>http://***.'>http://***.'>http://***.

Important Questions and Answers

What is a .NET Passport account?

Microsoft .NET Passport is a service that enables you to sign in to multiple services, such as MSN Messenger or Hotmail, with a single e-mail address and password. For more information, visit the Passport home page at http://www.passport.net.

I don't have a Passport account. Why am I seeing this message?

Another person may have created a Passport account with your current sympatico.ca e-mail address (such as a family member, or an individual who had the e-mail address before you). This does not mean that the user has access to your e-mail messages or any other personal information - it simply means that they have used the e-mail address as a sign-in name for their Passport account.

If this is the case, you can ignore this e-mail message and do nothing, and 20 days from the date this message was sent, we will disable the user from using your e-mail address as their Passport sign-in name.

What does it mean to give consent to Bell Canada to manage my sympatico.ca .NET Passport?

As the owner of the sympatico.ca domain, Bell Canada assigns sympatico.ca e-mail addresses. In addition, sympatico.ca is now a 'sponsored domain' which is associated with a special kind of .NET Passport where Bell Canada will ensure only Bell Sympatico Internet customers can obtain sympatico.ca .NET Passports.

What happens if I don't verify my e-mail address or give Sympatico consent to manage my Passport account?

After 20 days from the date this e-mail message was sent, if you have not yet verified your e-mail address with Passport, you will no longer be able to sign in to any Passport participating site until you change the e-mail address in your Passport account.

In addition, you will lose data associated with your Passport sign-in e-mail address, such as your MSN Messenger contact list.

No matter what your decision is, your existing Sympatico subscription and e-mail account will not be affected.  Only your Passport account will be affected.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Passport is committed to protecting your privacy. We encourage you to review the Passport privacy statement at:

http://www.passport.net/privacypolicy.asp

To request additional help from Passport Customer Support, click http://***

Please do not reply to this message; it was sent from an unmonitored e-mail address and we are unable to respond to any replies.

[Doggie]

well thats obviously the reason..