Unblock phone numbers for MFA

Question

Hi,

I am currently trying to sign in to a tenant with a known global admin account. I know the password and i own the 2 phonenumbers attached to the account. However, when i try to sign in, or try to do a account password recovery via SSPR it (the MFA) always fails because the numbers are apparently on a blocklist (Bad PhoneReputation). I cannot sign in to the tenant to create a case. How can i remove the bad reputation?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi @Luke Voorn

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum.

You’re experiencing an MFA lockout because the phone numbers associated with your Global Admin account have been flagged by Microsoft’s PhoneReputation system. This automatically blocks SMS/voice MFA for numbers suspected of spam, VoIP misuse, or telephony abuse.

This issue is not fixable from your tenant, especially since you cannot sign in. It requires Data Protection Team to manually remove the reputation block and grant you access back to your account.

 

Since you cannot reach a live agent by phone, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription.

To set up a new tenant, please follow these steps:

Visit Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant.

Follow the guided setup process to create a new account for a new tenant.

Once your tenant is created, you should be able to access the support portal and submit your ticket referencing your locked account without further issues.

In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to your previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt:

"Hello, I’m currently unable to access my previous Microsoft 365 tenant. I’m the global admin, but I’m locked out. I created this new tenant solely to request assistance. I kindly ask to be connected with the Data Protection team to verify my identity and help me recover access to the original tenant.

This is urgent, as I rely on Microsoft 365 for my work and have been unable to operate for several days. I’m available to provide any documentation or verification needed to support the recovery process."

Ticket Support: In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support.

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription after your issue is resolved, as this will help you avoid any accidental billing. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn

 

I hope this helps you regain access to your account quickly. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

Answer 2

Oh, and i tried calling your "support" line, but gave up after a wait time of more than 3 hours!