My Account was hacked, email changed, and I accidentally started a new account while trying to recover the old one!

Question

In May of last year, my account got hacked while I was travelling to see family overseas. I could not sort anything for a couple of months because I was travelling. During that time, the hacker changed my email and password and reset information. When I got home, I followed all the normal instructions for recovering a hacked account, but the process kept saying that my account no longer existed and did I want to start a new account with that email address. I did what it suggested, but I still could not recover my missing Office 365 subscription. Then I got billed for a renewal.

My Bank told me that they could not stop the charge, and Microsoft help said they could not help either. I spent 10-15hrs trying to solve the problem, and in the end it wasn't worth my time. However, this year, the renewal came through again. I was able to spend a long time with a microsoft tech support person who could told me how to look up charges to my credit card in the Microsoft system, and we could see a truncated version of the email address that hacked my account. The charge from last year and this year are clearly listed. But the support person is not a dedicated fraud person, and could do nothing to help me or refer me to anyone!

I have gone through the normal fraud report system - but since I recreated a new account while trying to recover the first one - and I don't have the full email address of the hacker who stole my account - They keep responding that there is no hack. I can't even explain anything to them - because the automated system only takes the email address and contact information and doesn't allow me to explain the problem or how to see evidence of the hack within the Microsoft system.

HELP! How can I actually TALK to a Fraud team member to get help here?

Answer 1

Hello C Daniel Wilson,

I’m sorry you have been dealing with this for so long.

Since the attacker appears to have replaced the original account alias and you subsequently created a new account using the old address, the new account is separate and will not contain the original Microsoft 365 subscription or billing history.

Microsoft does not publish a direct contact channel for a dedicated consumer “Fraud Team.” However, you can contact a human support agent and ask that the case be escalated as an unauthorized recurring subscription charge:

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.  

1. Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support 
2. In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below. 
3. In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account. 
4. Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm 
5. You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window. 

Give the agent the dates and amounts of both renewals, the card’s last four digits, the truncated account address previously identified, and any earlier support case numbers. Make clear that you are not asking them to merge the newly created account with the stolen account. You are asking them to trace the recurring subscription associated with the card, stop future renewals, investigate the unauthorized charges, and escalate the billing case appropriately.

You should also contact your card issuer again and state that the payment credentials are compromised and are still being used for recurring unauthorized transactions. Ask about replacing the card or blocking future merchant-initiated recurring charges, rather than only disputing the latest transaction.

Community members cannot access Microsoft’s billing systems or transfer you directly to an internal fraud or account-recovery team, so this will need to be handled privately through Microsoft Support and your card issuer.

Have a nice day.