what to do about emails that appear to come from my address

Question

I'm getting emails that come from my address. They are threatening to exploit my information

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

About the persistent draft being credited:

If you haven't tried anything yet, please start by running a full antivirus scan on your computer using Windows Security and any third-party antivirus software you have.

Run a full deep scan using a trusted security tool:

• Download and run Microsoft Safety Scanner here: https://learn.microsoft.com/defender-endpoint/safety-scanner-download
• After running the scan, please restart your PC and monitor whether the issue continues.

---

To be safe, I recommend the following steps:

Check your account rules and forwarding settings, hackers create rules that automatically forward or delete emails. You can do this in Outlook settings under Mail > Rules and Forwarding. https://support.microsoft.com/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-in-outlook-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59

Just to be safe, I’d recommend to sign out everywhere. Visit: https://account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional Scroll down to Sign me out and select "Sign me out".

• After signing out everywhere, please monitor if the issue persists in the coming hours.

---

"How to help keep your Microsoft account secure" https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/how-to-help-keep-your-microsoft-account-secure-628538c2-7006-33bb-5ef4-c917657362b9

---

I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

Those messages are almost certainly phishing or spoofed emails, not real messages sent from the account.

Take these steps in Outlook.com / Outlook on the web:

1. Do not interact with the messages
   • Do not reply, click any links, scan QR codes, or open attachments.
   • Delete the messages or move them to Junk.
2. Check whether the sender is spoofed
   • In the message list, hover over the sender name to see the real email address.
   • If Outlook shows a ? in the sender image or a banner saying the sender could not be verified, treat the message as suspicious.
   • If the address looks like the address but with subtle changes (for example micros0ft.com instead of microsoft.com), it is a scam.
3. Secure the Microsoft account
   • Change the account password to a strong, unique one (not used on other sites).
   • Turn on two-factor authentication (if not already enabled).
   • Review recent sign-in activity and security info for anything unfamiliar.
4. Check Outlook rules and forwarding (if signed in)
   • In Outlook on the web, open Settings → Mail → Rules and delete any rules that move, forward, or auto-create messages that were not created.
   • Check Mail → Forwarding and remove any forwarding addresses that are not recognized.
5. Report the messages
   • In Outlook, mark the message as Junk or Phishing so Microsoft can improve filtering.
   • For tech-support-style scams or blackmail/extortion attempts, report them to Microsoft at https://msrc.microsoft.com/report/.
6. Inform contacts if needed
   • If there is any sign that the account was actually accessed (messages sent from the account, unusual drafts, etc.), notify important contacts from a different, secure account that the address may have been spoofed or compromised and they should ignore suspicious messages.

If the account shows signs of compromise that cannot be fixed (for example, recovery info changed and access lost), use the Microsoft account recovery process and follow official support guidance.

---

References:

• Phishing and suspicious behavior in Outlook
• Protect yourself from phishing
• My personal hotmail account hacked by hacker with authentication app enabled. - Microsoft Q&A
• Hacker set up continuous draft ransomware email - Microsoft Q&A