Problem with Outlook

[Rocket2]

Hi - recently I've been getting Spam (sometimes quite threataning) that while I can report (I assume that this is looked at) but cannot block the sender. Is there anything I can do? I have Avast (free version) installed & run deep scans to see if there's anything lurking, nonthing to date.
Thanks for your help
R2

[PJD1]

Firstly receiving spam is nothing to do with Outlook (or any viruses / malware on your computer), it is because your email address has found it's way onto the spammers list which unfortunately it is a fact of life - if you have an email address you will get spam. However sensible precautions about who you give your email address to and which websites you type it into can minimise it.

You can block specific addresses within Outlook, if you right click on an email, scroll down to "Junk" and then select "Block sender". Of course this only blocks the specific address that particular email came from and the spammers often use many different addresses so you have to keep doing it. Often the simplest solution is to just delete it, and of course NEVER click on any links or attachments in the spam - not even links that might say "unsubscribe" etc. - clicking it just tells the spammers that your email address is valid and in use!

[Rocket2]

Thanks PJD - I used to be able to block senders as you describe but just lately if I do this with some I get a message saying that Outlook is unable to block the sender so I delete it anway & of course never open a file if at all unsure of who sent it.
Blue skies R2

[dogsridewith]

I get extortion attempts from a number of @Outlook.com addresses. Why doesn't Outlook ban these addresses and/or report them to law enforcement?

[PJD1]

Originally Posted by dogsridewith

I get extortion attempts from a number of @Outlook.com addresses. Why doesn't Outlook ban these addresses and/or report them to law enforcement?

As previously stated this is nothing to do with Outlook. Microsoft Outlook is an email client that runs on your computer (part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs). Outlook connects to your email provider's server and downloads your email, it does not "know" what the content of that email is, it's job is simply to download it to your computer. It does have options that can be set up to scan the email and try to identify spam which can then be moved to a junk folder but these algorithms are not perfect and if set to be too aggressive can result in genuine messages being flagged as junk.

Outlook.com is Microsoft's webmail service (previously called Hotmail) and is nothing to do with Outlook email client. Banning @outlook.com addresses would result in millions of legitimate users of the service being unable to send email - I doubt that would be very popular!

[dogsridewith]

So any _ _ _ _ _@Outlook,com user can make up an infinite number of _ _ _ _ _ prefixes that show up in the Sender address on emails sent to my inbox?

[PJD1]

Yes, outlook.com is a free email service and anyone can register for a free account (the same as gmail, AOL etc...). The spammers use automated bots to register thousands of accounts that are then used to send out spam. I'm sure Microsoft and the other providers are constantly removing scam accounts as and when they become aware of them but they can never win the battle as the scammers just set up more accounts as quickly as the old ones are are closed down.

[PDR1]

That's even assuming the email really did come from that account - many of these are "spoofed" so that they *appear* to come from that account when they actually come from elsewhere.Or they could also be email addresses hijacked from real people. If you are lax about your password and firewall security then miscreants can sometimes get into your machine and copy your address book - they then spoof emails to appear to be from those addresses.

But don't get hung up on the Outlook Email thing. If you have a windows 7, 8 or 10 PC you have an Outlook email account - it's bound to your log-on user name. If you have an Android phone or tablet then you have at least one Gmail account - it's bound to the phone number. Many people don't use them and some don't even realise they have them, but they exist. The email providers do their best to block the spammers by blocking their IP addresses, but these can be changed/masked/spoofed as well. So they can no more guarantee to block spam email than the post office can block junk mail. It's part of life - sorry!

PDR

[PDR1]

Originally Posted by dogsridewith

So any _ _ _ _ _@Outlook,com user can make up an infinite number of _ _ _ _ _ prefixes that show up in the Sender address on emails sent to my inbox?

Not quite. Anyone with access to the internet and register (apply for) free email accounts (Outlook and Gmail are the big providers, but there are dozens of others). The email provider then creates the addresses. You can't just invent new accounts.

But remember that "any [email protected] user" includes everyone with a windows 7,8 or 10 PC.

PDR

[rog747]

outlook/Hotmail especially older Hotmail accounts have had a huge well know problem since last summer with dozens if not 100's of spam/scam emails flooding one's junk/spam mail folder each day.

Best advice is to mark it all as Phishing and send them back to Outlook and or move them to your deleted/trash folder - There WAS a block feature that reappeared in the menu that allowed the domains to be blocked but that has recently disappeared again so WTF outlook is doing is beyond us all

my issues was 200 spam a day but now thankfully down to maybe 10 or so - but started up again since Covid-19 and bitcoin scams

at least they are going into the spam/junk as they should and not into the inbox but why Outlook/MS is allowing all this crap is beyond me.

This new problem IS specific to outlook/Hotmail email accounts - with older Hotmail being worse.........

there is a support thread on MS outlook mail pages but we all just say the same -

[Asturias56]

I use Mailwasher as a filter before downloading anything - that allows to Block Sender but also BLOCK Domain which stops a lot more rubbish

[PJD1]

Originally Posted by PDR1

If you have a windows 7, 8 or 10 PC you have an Outlook email account - it's bound to your log-on user name.

Not necessarily, if you use a Microsoft account to log on to your PC then yes, you will have a Microsoft email address but you can also log on with a local account - you don't have to use a Microsoft account.

[PJD1]

Originally Posted by rog747

why Outlook/MS is allowing all this crap is beyond me.

I'm sure if you can provide Microsoft with the solution to prevent spam they would be very interested to hear from you.

Originally Posted by rog747

This new problem IS specific to outlook/Hotmail email accounts - with older Hotmail being worse.........

It is neither a new problem nor is it specific to Microsoft. Spam has been around almost as long as email (admittedly as time goes on the problem has increased but that is unfortunately the nature of things). As well as harvesting lists of known email addresses the spammers use algorithms that generate random email addresses in the format of [email protected] or [email protected]. Some of these will be valid, others won't, the spammers don't care, some will be valid and get through. Obviously if you use an email address from one of the more common providers (gmail.com, outlook.com etc) then it is probably more likely to get targeted by the algorithms than a more obscure domain such as a company email address but ultimately none are immune. The longer an email address has been in existence the more likely it is to be on a spammers list, hence the reason why older email accounts are likely to get more spam.

[dogsridewith]

Way less crap coming from gmail addresses than outlook addresses. If Google can stop it, Microsoft can stop it.

Spam is the only thing I get from any outlook addresses.

[FullOppositeRudder]

MailWasher is mandatory on my computers. My email program (Thunderbird) is set to not automatically download mail. I instigate that manually after checking what MailWasher has discovered, and anything I don't like is deleted at that point - and bounced if I'm in a bad mood.

[Ancient Observer]

I have been lucky so far. Perhaps I should not write that..............
My Internet service provider is BT, who do many things badly, but on my system they seem to be v effective at blocking spam. I look at email via outlook, and don't log in to the BT Mail website unless on holiday. I currently receive few spam mails.

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

I use Mailwasher as a filter before downloading anything - that allows to Block Sender but also BLOCK Domain which stops a lot more rubbish

I use Mailwasher too. However is get a whole series of 'common' emails with From: "asda-announce-bouncesmailto:u+evnZyjz25l5Lam1YdN8DFztFbYcf2Li77vXvEnoz"@em ail.turnoutpac.com
However that string bypasses the Sender and Domain filters. However if I set up 'includes "asda-announce-bouncesmailto" anywhere in the message then job done and it is auto deleted.

The other filter is anything with 'Hey Pontiusnavigator' ie no spaces between my first and last names as they have just stripped it from my email address. I do have one annpying, and genuine, email from American Express that addresses me by both given names and omits the family name grrr!

[Jhieminga]

I have been using Spamcop for a while now. It doesn't prevent the spam from arriving, but it does give a sense of satisfaction to be able to report these spammers to the ISPs. I think that in the long run it helps a bit to report stuff like this, as it helps ISPs to close down dodgy accounts. You only have to register on https://www.spamcop.net/ and you get a specific e-mail address where you can forward the dodgy mails to, including the full headers, so that they can find the ISPs behind the e-mail source and the links. You then get the option to send the reports.

[jimjim1]

Originally Posted by dogsridewith

So any _ _ _ _ _@Outlook,com user can make up an infinite number of _ _ _ _ _ prefixes that show up in the Sender address on emails sent to my inbox?

I may be out of date here, I think email has relatively recently become more secure but I expect there are still ways to accomplish what I describe.

The from address on an email is exactly as secure as the "From" or "If undelivered Return to" address written on the back on an envelope.

Anyone can put anything they like on it and pop it in the post. No one checks the truth of it before delivery.

It would be interesting to hear if this has in fact changed. I doubt I could send such a message now although I have done so previously (only to myself or colleagues as a test) but it may be possible to find a mail relay that would accept such messages.

[rog747]

Originally Posted by Rocket2

Hi - recently I've been getting Spam (sometimes quite threataning) that while I can report (I assume that this is looked at) but cannot block the sender. Is there anything I can do? I have Avast (free version) installed & run deep scans to see if there's anything lurking, nonthing to date.
Thanks for your help
R2

There is a problem with excess spam going to Outlook mail accounts that started overwhelmingly about 9 months ago - coincidentally for me too. You are not alone.
Here is the MS outlook support thread which clearly shows that Outlook/MS mail has an issue with unwanted piles of spam whereas Yahoo/Gmail do not....

You may have to log into MS outlook support forum to read it but it confirms what is the issue -

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-f946b4884999

First post Aug 18th 2019 from Emma
Title - Massive increase in junk emails
Hi - I still have an old Hotmail account that I use on outlook.com. In the last few weeks I've gone from receiving about 10 junk emails a day (into my junk folder) to about 50 a day (still into my junk folder)! I always go through and block every single email that is definitely junk, so why am I suddenly getting so many?? I keep seeing the same subject lines in there too, it's getting really frustrating having to go through them and check for emails that aren't junk, and then blocking the rest - if I don't look for a few days I might have nearly 200, which is insane!! Please help!

There now 45 pages of replies with the same issue including me!