My e mail address has been hacked

Mary Fomison 0 Reputation points
2026-10-06T15:18:04.2866667+00:00

A message has been sent to all my contacts saying they have received a message from and asking them to reply\

They the reply asking for money for gift voucher and air b&b

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy
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  1. SD - IA 180.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T16:06:50.5133333+00:00

    Hi,

    The symptoms suggest your account was hacked, and the hackers likely added your account to an organization. Follow the instructiosn related to rules from the AI answer, and then look:

    1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account.
    2. Change the password
      • Select Security.
      • Click Password security.
      • Enter your current password.
      • Enter and confirm the new password.
      • Select Save.
    3. Sign out everywhere
      • Open Security → Advanced security options.
      • Scroll to Sign me out.
      • Select Sign me out everywhere to end all active sessions on devices and browsers.
    4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
      • Go to Security → Advanced security options.
      • Find Two-step verification.
      • Select Turn on.
      • Follow the prompts to add a verification method such as the **Microsoft Authenticator app, phone number, or email.
      • Complete the setup to activate two-step verification.

    I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Wishing you good luck!

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-06T15:18:20.5333333+00:00

    This can be either account compromise or email spoofing.

    If messages were actually sent from the mailbox to contacts asking for money or gift vouchers, secure the account immediately:

    1. Change the Microsoft account password to a strong, unique password.
    2. Turn on two-step verification / multi-factor authentication if it is not already enabled.
    3. Review recent sign-in activity and mark unfamiliar sign-ins as This wasn’t me: https://account.live.com/activity
    4. In Outlook.com, check Settings > Mail > Forwarding and remove any forwarding address that was not added intentionally.
    5. Check Settings > Mail > Rules and delete any unfamiliar rules, especially rules that forward, redirect, move, or delete messages.
    6. Review Sent Items, Deleted Items, Junk Email, Archive, blocked senders, and automatic replies for anything unfamiliar.
    7. Check Microsoft account security info and remove any unknown recovery methods, devices, or sign-in methods.
    8. Tell contacts not to reply, click links, open attachments, or send money in response to those messages.

    If the suspicious messages are not in Sent Items, the address may have been spoofed instead of the account being hacked. In that case:

    • Do not reply to the scam messages.
    • Mark them as Junk/Spam or Report phishing.
    • Be cautious with messages marked as unverified, showing a ? sender image, a via tag, or a banner saying Outlook could not verify the sender.

    Signs of phishing or spoofing include:

    • urgent requests for immediate action
    • requests for money, gift cards, or vouchers
    • suspicious links or unexpected attachments
    • mismatched sender domains
    • messages from trusted names but unverified senders

    If there is evidence the account was accessed, follow Microsoft’s compromised account recovery guidance: My Outlook.com account has been hacked.

    References

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

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