Bogus Forwarding Email

Question

When I went to my email, it showed a forwarding email to an unknown address. How do I turn off the forwarding option? Someone has hacked into my email.

Answer 1

Yes, an unknown forwarding address is a strong sign that you should secure the account immediately.

In Outlook.com, go to Settings > Mail > Forwarding (or Forwarding and IMAP), select Disable forwarding, then Save. Microsoft instructions: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/mail/turn-automatic-forwarding-on-or-off-in-outlook

Also check Settings > Mail > Rules and delete any rule you did not create, because forwarding can also be hidden there.

Then immediately change your Microsoft account password, review Recent activity for unknown sign-ins, and use “Sign out everywhere.” https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/security/what-is-the-recent-activity-page https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-sign-out-of-your-microsoft-account-everywhere

Finally, enable two-step verification for extra protection. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/security/how-to-use-two-step-verification-with-your-microsoft-account

After doing this, send yourself a test email and check Forwarding and Rules again to make sure the unknown address does not return.

Answer 2

To turn off forwarding in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com:

1. Select Settings.
2. Go to Mail > Forwarding.
   • In some Outlook.com experiences, this appears as Mail > Forwarding and IMAP.
3. Turn off forwarding:
   • In Outlook on the web or new Outlook, toggle Disable forwarding and select Save.
   • In Outlook.com, clear Enable forwarding or select Disable forwarding, then select Save.

Since an unknown forwarding address appeared, also check for other unauthorized forwarding methods:

1. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.
2. Delete any rule that forwards, redirects, moves, or deletes messages unexpectedly.
3. Review account sign-in and security info, remove anything unfamiliar, change the password, and enable two-step verification.

If the account was compromised, Microsoft guidance for suspicious forwarding activity recommends disabling and deleting the inbox forwarding rule and resetting account credentials.

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References:

• Turn automatic forwarding on or off in Outlook
• Turn on or off automatic forwarding in Outlook.com
• Alert classification for suspicious email forwarding activity
• My Hotmail was Hacked and Mail is being forwarded to unknown email addresses, even though no mail forwarding options have been set up in my Settings. - Microsoft Q&A
• My @msn.com Email Has Been Hijacked - Microsoft Q&A