United States: Cybersecurity experts have warned Outlook users to remain alert to phishing attempts exploiting Microsoft’s ongoing service disruption, with scammers posing as company representatives to offer fake account recovery assistance, technical support and outage-related refunds.
The disruption began around 11:17 a.m. EST on November 12, 2026, leaving thousands of users unable to access their inboxes, send emails or log into their accounts. Downdetector recorded nearly 130,000 reports of Outlook-related problems shortly after 1 p.m. EST.
Microsoft’s November 13 update indicated that service availability was gradually improving across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, although some customers continued to experience intermittent disruptions.
Scammers are exploiting the situation through fraudulent emails claiming that users must verify their accounts, reset passwords or provide personal information to restore Outlook services. Some messages also promise compensation or subscription refunds for the inconvenience.
These communications may imitate Microsoft’s branding and official notifications. Fraudsters could use malicious links to steal login credentials, collect banking information or persuade victims to install remote-access software. Others may demand payments through gift cards or cryptocurrency for supposedly repairing accounts.
The US Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly cautioned consumers about impostors posing as technical-support representatives. Microsoft also states that it does not proactively contact users with unsolicited technical-support offers.
While eligible business and enterprise customers may receive service credits under applicable service agreements, personal Outlook.com and Hotmail users should not assume they qualify for automatic cash refunds.
Users are advised against clicking suspicious links or sharing passwords, verification codes and financial details. Anyone who has entered credentials on a fraudulent website should immediately change their password, enable multifactor authentication and review recent account activity.
Microsoft has reported no evidence of malicious activity behind the outage. However, the disruption has created a separate opportunity for cybercriminals to target unsuspecting users.
