What the heck happend to the EXCLUSIVE setting in Outlook - I'm getting Russian **** in my inbox!

Yes, I completely believe you did NOT subscribe.

That is what Diane and I are trying to say.

On Microsoft's back end, they likely have a function whose sole purpose is to scour every email that comes to you (ideally only the ones NOT going directly to junk).

When that function finds the word "unsubscribe" or something like it along with a link in the email, then the function automatically puts that email address in Subscriptions under Settings, along with the option to "unsubscribe" (as well as Block), which I suspected merely opens the same link that you would have clicked in such an email.

That is why we both are saying do NOT click on any kind of unsubscribe for any spam.

I'm glad you already know not to click on unsubscribe.

You ought to be fine clicking "Block" if you want to remove the entry in Subscriptions, but all it does from what I can tell (from my testing) is hide the entry from Subscriptions and add the entry in "Blocked senders".

So either way, you're stuck with some entry which is still unacceptable.

But to say it is a hacker or a virus is completely wrong. We didn't get hacked and it's unlikely Microsoft did either. It's much more likely someone just screwed up with an update for the filter system which they supposedly eventually got around to fixing.

I think the filters are working again too. I woke up expecting to see a ton of spam in my inbox but it was clear of spam and my junk folder now full of spam.  We’ll see if this continues as the day goes.

See below - pasted the icon from the message email address - not as ASCII.

May have a solution though not sure if it covers all instances. Have set up a rule as follows which has been working for me in the past hour.

1. Create a Rule named Red Balloon
2. Add condition - Message header includes ... cut and paste red balloon icon into the value box. (you can copy paste the red balloon icon from the email address of the sender e.g. <#####.red balloon icon here@######.com)
3. Add Action - Move to - Junk Email

Edited rule to include a mountain icon ... guess will need to amend as more special characters are coming in via email addresses.

Hi Diane!  Thanks so much for answering so quickly.  I found Junk Mail listed under Layouts and I've already clicked the filters - just all of a sudden the filters stopped working, i.e. Russian and porn landed in my inbox.  I dont think I've ever had that happen in all the years I've used Outlook.com

Not sure what happened....hope this was an isolated event.