Spammer/Imposter is using my name in an Outlook email address

Report the fraudulent @outlook.com address through Microsoft’s MSRC abuse portal, selecting the option for spam, impersonation, or phishing originating from an Outlook/Hotmail/Live/MSN address.^1^

Report and contain the impersonation

1. Open the MSRC reporting portal and submit an abuse report.
2. Include:
   • The impersonator’s complete email address.
   • A description that the sender is using your name.
   • Dates, recipients, and examples of the messages.
   • Screenshots and copies of the original messages, if available.
   • Any requests for money, credentials, gift cards, or personal information.
3. Ask recipients who received the messages in Outlook to select the message and choose Report > Report phishing. This reports the sender to Microsoft; recipients should also block the address because reporting alone does not block further messages.^2^
4. Warn affected contacts through a separate trusted channel—such as telephone, text message, or your known Panix address—not to reply, click links, open attachments, send money, or provide information.^3^

Microsoft cannot disclose information about an account you do not own. Reporting it as impersonation is the appropriate route for investigation.^4^

Determine whether either real account was accessed

A newly created address using your name is separate from your Outlook or Panix account. However, sending to many Panix contacts could indicate that a contact list was obtained, so check for unauthorized access rather than assuming the password change alone resolved it.

For your Microsoft/Outlook account:

1. Open the Microsoft account Recent activity page.
2. Review the last 30 days for unfamiliar successful sign-ins, profile changes, applications granted permission, or security-information changes.
3. Expand any unfamiliar entry and select This wasn’t me. For suspicious entries without that option, select Secure your account.^5^
4. Review whether any unknown application was given account permission and whether aliases, recovery addresses, phone numbers, or trusted devices were changed.

You have already changed the Panix password and strengthened Outlook security, so do not repeat those steps. Instead, ask Panix support to review available login records, forwarding rules, filters, recovery settings, and active mail sessions for changes you did not make. Also inspect sent, deleted, and trash folders for messages or rules you do not recognize.

If neither account shows unauthorized access, the criminal may simply have collected your name and contacts elsewhere; the abuse report and recipient warnings remain the applicable actions.

If fraud or threats are involved

If anyone sent money, disclosed financial details, or received threats, preserve the original messages and transaction records and report the matter to local law enforcement. An official report can assist banks, payment services, and providers investigating related activity.^3^

References

1. MSRC reporting portal
2. Phishing and suspicious behavior in Outlook | Microsoft Support
3. A relative is being impersonated by someone using an outlook.com account - Microsoft Q&A
4. Someone is using an email address with my name and surname - Microsoft Q&A
5. What is the Recent activity page? | Microsoft Support