Message blocked because it contains content identified as spam

Neil Wilson 0 Reputation points
2026-09-25T09:15:32.79+00:00

Lately every time I try forward a scam email to 'phishing report ([Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]@phishing.gov.uk)' to report it, the message gets blocked by [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]@outlook.com, MY QUESTION IS: IF I CANNOT SEND IT, WHY AM I RECEIVING IT. It seems that Microsoft is working with the scammers.

Outlook | Web | Outlook on the web for business | Email
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-25T09:15:47.91+00:00

    Use Outlook’s built-in phishing reporting instead of forwarding the scam message.

    In Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 Outlook:

    1. Select the suspicious message.
    2. Choose Report > Report phishing from the ribbon.
    3. This reports the message, removes it from the Inbox, and helps improve filtering.

    If using an email client other than Outlook, send the phishing message as an attachment in a new email to ******@office365.microsoft.com. Do not forward it normally, because the original message headers are needed for analysis.

    For why a message can be received but a forwarded copy is blocked: Microsoft’s anti-spam system can block messages based on the content and characteristics of the message being sent. The anti-spam guidance states that legitimate email can also be flagged because of filtering verdicts, policy overrides, or authentication-related issues, and message trace can be used to investigate what happened to a message.

    If this is a Microsoft 365 business mailbox, an admin can investigate in:

    1. Exchange admin center > Mail flow > Message trace to see which rule or policy flagged the message.
    2. Review anti-spam policies, mail flow rules, and blocked senders settings.
    3. Submit the message to Microsoft for analysis.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Heimerdinger 630 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-25T09:54:49.5+00:00

    Hi @Neil Wilson,

    I understand your concern. To better understand why the message is being blocked when you try to forward it, could you review the non-delivery report (NDR) or postmaster message that you receive?

    Please scroll down in the message and look for a section called "Diagnostic information for administrators" (or a similarly named section). This usually contains the specific reason why the message could not be delivered. Could you share the exact error code and message from that section?

    There can be several reasons why an email is undeliverable. Examples include an incorrect recipient address, an outdated Auto-Complete entry, attachment restrictions, or server-side filtering policies.

    In the meantime, you may wish to verify the recipient address and try sending again:

    1. Create a new message.
    2. In the To field, remove the existing recipient address.
    3. Clear any Auto-Complete suggestion for the recipient:
      • Start typing the address until it appears in the suggestion list.
      • Highlight the suggestion and select Delete.
    4. Manually type the full recipient email address again, ensuring it is spelled correctly.
    5. Send the message.

    You can also refer to Microsoft's guidance on interpreting Outlook.com postmaster and failed delivery notifications:

    Failed delivery messages from the postmaster at outlook.com, microsoft.com, or service.microsoft.com

    Once you provide the diagnostic information from the NDR, I can take a closer look at the specific reason the message is being blocked.

    Additionally, if your goal is to report phishing messages, Outlook includes a built-in phishing reporting option that sends the message to Microsoft for analysis. You may find this easier than forwarding the email manually. Please refer to the following article for step-by-step instructions:

    Phishing and suspicious behavior in Outlook - Microsoft Support

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Community members and moderators do not have access to Microsoft mail systems or customer accounts, so we rely on the information contained in the delivery failure report to help identify the cause.

    Thank you again for your time and understanding. I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.

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  3. Hornblower409 16,335 Reputation points
    2026-09-26T03:13:23.57+00:00

    @Neil Wilson

    Microsoft allows delivery to me, to be scammed, but I cannot forward it to the authorities for them to take action.

    This is a common problem, not just with the Microsoft mail filters. There are two suggested workarounds:

    1 -- Take a screen shot of the email. Most government agencies can work from that.

    2 -- Right-Click on the message in your message list and choose Download -> Download as EML
    Preferred because it retains all the details from the original

    User's image

    Compose a new message to phishing.gov.uk, give it the same Subject as the original and attach or paste in the screen shot, or attach the EML file.

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