Why do I have to choose between "junk" and "phishing" when reporting an email?

Question

Why do I have to choose between "junk" and "phishing" when reporting an email?

Anonymous

In Outlook, when (often) the useless spam filter fails to recognise blatantly obvious spam, you have the option to report it. This is clearly a good thing, even if it never seems to improve the quality of filtering.

But then it comes up with 3 options:

Junk

Phishing

Block sender

Why? How are we supposed to know if it is junk or phishing without dangerously poking about in the links/attachments of the message? Why can't it just be a one click report?

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1 answer

Answer 1

Hello AndyO63! I'm Gunasekar and I'd be happy to help you with your question.

You're right, the distinction between "junk" and "phishing" in email reporting can be confusing and frustrating, especially when dealing with blatantly obvious spam.

Microsoft has implemented several measures to prevent spam emails from reaching your inbox, including AI-based filters. However, some spam emails may still slip through the cracks. However, there are differences between these operations.

*When you mark an email as "junk", you help train the spam filters to recognize similar emails in the future.

*On the other hand, reporting an email as "phishing" alerts the security teams and may trigger investigations to shut down phishing campaigns.

It is important to note that phishing is considered a more serious threat, as it attempts to steal personal information or install malware. Therefore, reporting an email as "phishing" prioritizes these cases and helps protect other users.

You could follow the Microsoft Self-help articles to resolve the issue.

Block SPAM Emails.

Filter junk email and spam in Outlook: (Related article for your reference)

https://support.microsoft.com/help/db786e79-54e2-40cc-904f-d89d57b7f41d

Block senders or mark email as junk in Outlook.com

https://support.microsoft.com/help/a3ece97b-82f8-4a5e-9ac3-e92fa6427ae4

Create an inbox rule -

https://support.microsoft.com/help/4b094371-a5d7-49bd-8b1b-4e4896a7cc5d

In addition to this, these tips can help keep your Microsoft account safe, make it easier to recover if it's compromised, and strengthen it against attacks.

https://support.microsoft.com/help/628538c2-7006-33bb-5ef4-c917657362b9

Change your Microsoft account Password.'
Enable Two-factor authentication.

I hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to help you further.

Best regards,

Gunasekar N

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Why do I have to choose between "junk" and "phishing" when reporting an email?

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