Outlook hacked.

Question

Outlook hacked.

Bill George 0

I have been getting lots of calls and texts, that they have been getting emails from me, but I did not send them. One of my friends also, did the chat with the hack and they are looking for money,

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hello, I’m Virginia.

Have you checked your account security online to see if there are any unknown sign ins? Check under Security>View my sign in activity, if there are any unknown successful sign ins then move to the next step.

If you can’t sign in then you may need the account recovery form.

Try recovering your account here:

Hacked:

https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/how-to-recover-a-hacked-or-compromised-microsoft-account-24ca907d-bcdf-a44b-4656-47f0cd89c245

Or:

Can’t sign in:

https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/you-can-t-sign-in-to-your-microsoft-account-475c9b5c-8c25-49f1-9c2d-c64b7072e735

You can try also https://support.microsoft.com/home/contact & type Account Recovery in the box, then choose the Contact Support tab above & select Windows, then recovery from the drop down menus.

If none of the above work then you’ll require the account recovery form:

https://account.live.com/acsr

Please note if you have 2/multi factor authentication active on your account then you cannot use the form to recover the account.

If you’re successful in changing the details then you may find that the account is limited for 30 days, this is a security feature & cannot be circumvented.

Please be aware that if the email address has been changed to that of the hacker &/or 2fa/mfa has been enabled then usually there’s nothing which can be done.

Once you have signed in/have recovered your account then check to see if there are any message rules enabled which are forwarding emails to another address.

Outlook via the web:

Click the cog icon>Email>Rules.

Also check for hidden rules:

Please check the suggestions here to see if there’s any hidden message rules:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4727095/undeletable-inbox-rule-placed-by-a-hacker

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5492279/someone-has-hacked-my-email-and-created-a-forwardi

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4738494/a-draft-has-been-appearing-in-our-inbox-and-when-w

As a last resort you’ll need to contact support:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5569093/my-outlook-account-was-hacked-auto-reappearing-inb Follow the instructions from the marked answer.

Answer 2

This can be either account compromise or email spoofing. Since people are receiving messages that were not sent, and someone is asking for money, take these steps immediately:

Scan the PC for malware before changing anything else
- Open Windows Security.
- Go to Virus and threat protection.
- Select Scan options > Full scan > Scan now.
- Microsoft recommends a full scan before changing the password.
Change the Microsoft account password
- After the malware scan finishes, sign in and change the password.
- If sign-in fails, use the password reset option.
- Use a strong password.
Check Outlook.com settings for unauthorized changes
- Review connected accounts.
- Review forwarding and remove any forwarding address that was not added intentionally.
- Review automatic replies.
- Also check Outlook mail rules and remove anything unfamiliar that forwards, redirects, moves, or deletes mail.
Review recent account activity
- Check recent sign-ins and mark unfamiliar activity as This wasn’t me.
Warn contacts not to interact with the messages
- Tell contacts not to click links, open attachments, reply, or send money.
Treat suspicious messages as phishing
- Be cautious with messages showing a ? in the sender image, an unverified sender banner, or a via tag showing a different actual sending address.
- Do not open unexpected links or attachments.
If access to the account is lost or compromise continues
- Use the Microsoft account recovery help flow. It can provide self-help steps or the option to talk to an agent.

If the message only appears to come from the address, that can be spoofing rather than direct account access. Outlook can mark suspicious mail as unverified or show a via tag when the real sender differs from the displayed From address.

References: