Someone is trying to hack my email account

Unusual sign-in prompts and an unrecognized verification phone number strongly suggest suspicious activity. Take these steps to protect the Outlook.com / Microsoft account and review where the attempts are coming from:

1. Secure the account immediately
   • Change the password to a strong, unique one that is not used on any other site.
   • Make sure two-step verification (2FA) is enabled and that only phone numbers and email addresses owned are listed as security info.
2. Verify the sign-in alerts are legitimate
   • Microsoft sends unusual sign-in alerts from the Microsoft account team at ******@accountprotection.microsoft.com. If alerts come from other senders or domains, treat them as suspicious.
3. Check recent sign-in activity and flag unfamiliar attempts
   • Go to the recent activity page at https://account.live.com/activity.
   • Review the list of sign-ins (time, location, device, and app).
   • For any activity that is not recognized, mark it as “This wasn’t me” (or the equivalent option). This helps Microsoft treat those attempts as unauthorized and can trigger additional protection on the account.
4. Review and correct security contact info
   • Go to the Microsoft account Security basics page (for example via the links in the articles) and review all security info (phone numbers, alternate email addresses).
   • Remove any phone number or email address that is not recognized.
   • Add a trusted mobile number and alternate email address that are controlled, so security codes and alerts go only to those.
5. Watch for blocks or code-delivery issues
   • If many verification requests are made in a short time, Microsoft may temporarily block sending codes as a protection measure. Avoid repeatedly requesting codes.
   • If verification codes are being emailed, ensure messages from @accountprotection.microsoft.com are not going to junk, and mark that domain as a trusted sender.
6. Continue monitoring
   • Periodically re-check the recent activity page to ensure no new unfamiliar sign-ins appear.
   • If there is evidence that someone has accessed the account, follow the guidance for compromised accounts in the referenced articles and complete any recommended recovery or security-hardening steps.

These steps both flag the suspicious sign-in attempts to Microsoft and reduce the chance that an attacker can successfully access the account.

References:

• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account
• Help protect your Outlook.com email account
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Can I trust email from the Microsoft account team?