Emails not mine

Eleanor Newbigging 0 Reputation points
2026-09-20T19:26:59.0433333+00:00

Why am I getting over 300 emails last night in different languages, and they are not for me.

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-20T19:27:11.95+00:00

    If the messages are arriving in Outlook and appear to be spam in unfamiliar languages, Outlook for Windows can filter some of them by blocking specific language encodings.

    Steps in Classic Outlook for Windows:

    1. Go to Home.
    2. In the Delete group, select the arrow next to Block or Junk.
    3. Select Junk E-mail Options.
    4. Open the International tab.
    5. Select Blocked Encodings List.
    6. Choose the language encodings to block, or select Select All.
    7. Select OK in both dialog boxes.

    Important details:

    • This blocks messages based on language encodings, also called character sets or alphabets.
    • Unicode encodings aren’t included in the Blocked Encodings List.
    • Messages with unknown or unspecified encodings are still handled by the regular Junk Email Filter.

    If the emails are from repeated senders, blocking those senders can also help.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. EmilyS726 269.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-20T20:15:28.9133333+00:00

    Getting 300+ emails suddenly, especially in different languages and from sites you do not recognize, sounds like a possible subscription/spam bombing attack.

    This happens when someone uses your email address to automatically sign up for hundreds or thousands of newsletters or websites. The important part is that the flood can sometimes be used to hide a legitimate security alert, purchase confirmation, password change, or financial transaction among all the unwanted messages. Cybersecurity agencies specifically warn about this tactic.

    I would not mass-delete everything yet. Search the messages for things such as order, purchase, payment, password, security alert, verification, Amazon, PayPal, bank, etc., and check your important accounts directly for any activity you do not recognize.

    The email flood itself does NOT necessarily mean your Outlook account was hacked. Someone only needs to know your email address to carry out this type of attack. For example, if I know your email address, I can go on all kinds of business websites, put in your email address to sign up for their newsletter, etc.

    This actually happened to me a few years ago and it was my gmail.com address. Turned out they were hoping I would then miss an important email alert from my credit card company letting me know of an expensive order I didn't make. It took me days/weeks to unsubscribe to all of those emails before it eventually calmed down.

    There are a lot of news articles that talk about subscription/spam bombing attack. Here is one of those: https://www.itbrew.com/stories/2026/03/20/attacking-the-inbox-it-pros-seeing-rise-in-subscription-bombing

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

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