All of my family email accounts have been hacked how can I completely reset them so they now belong to me again

Question

David Diaz 0

When I login to outlook, I get a viet namese account with a bunch of people impersonalting my family.

How do I reclaim my accounts?

Thanks

David

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1 answer

Answer 1

Take the following steps in order to regain control and secure the accounts:

Before changing any passwords, scan every PC, phone, and tablet that has been used to access these accounts.
On Windows 10/11 or 8.1, use Windows Defender:
- Select Start.
- Search for Windows Defender or open it from the link in the article.
- Make sure it is updated and run a full scan.
Ensure any other antivirus is fully updated and run full scans. Do not skip this step; if a device is still compromised, attackers can regain access.

Use Microsoft’s official recovery/sign-in helper for each affected account:
- Go to the Sign-in Helper and follow the prompts to recover a hacked or compromised account.
- If you can still sign in, immediately change the password to a strong, unique one.
- If you cannot sign in, use the Recover your account or Reset your password flow and provide as much accurate information as possible (old passwords, contacts, subjects, etc.).
If you see “We couldn’t find an account with that username” or similar errors, use the Sign-in Helper from the account help page for hacked accounts.

If any Outlook.com mailbox is temporarily blocked due to unusual activity, use the Sign-in Helper from the unblock article to complete verification and unblock the account.
If unblocking fails, follow the “When you can’t sign in to your Microsoft account” path from that article for further guidance.

Secure account settings after regaining access For each account you successfully sign back into:

Change the password again after device scans are clean.
Set up and enforce strong multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as Microsoft Authenticator.
Check and fix Outlook.com settings:
- Connected accounts: Remove any unknown or suspicious connected accounts.
- Forwarding: Remove any forwarding addresses you do not recognize.
- Automatic replies: Turn off any malicious auto-replies.
- Rules: In Outlook on the web, check Settings → Mail → Rules and delete any suspicious rules (for example, rules that move or delete messages, or create drafts automatically).
Use the Microsoft account security page to sign out everywhere and revoke any unknown app permissions, so attackers lose their sessions.

For each account that cannot be recovered via self-service:
- Use the account recovery form and provide as much detail as possible.
- If still unsuccessful, use the official Microsoft Support contact options (chat or callback where available) from the account and Outlook.com support pages to report that the accounts are hacked and recovery is failing.

Assume the attacker may have copied personal data from these accounts.
Follow identity-theft guidance:
- Monitor financial accounts and credit where applicable.
- Put fraud alerts on credit reports if identity data has been exposed.
- Close or secure any accounts opened or accessed fraudulently.
Inform family members and contacts (using a different, trusted email or phone) that the accounts were compromised and that they should ignore suspicious messages from those addresses.
Consider using Microsoft Defender’s identity theft monitoring to detect if email addresses or personal data have been exposed and to get restoration support.

Once control is restored:
- Ensure each family member has a strong, unique password and MFA enabled.
- Review and regularly check account security and sign-in activity.
- Consider using separate email addresses for personal communication, sign-ins, and “throwaway” registrations, as recommended in the email-leak guidance.

References: