Scammers are abusing an official Microsoft email address to send spam

Scammers are abusing an internal Microsoft account to send spam links Zack Whittaker 4:42 AM PDT · May 21, 2026 For months, scammers have been taking advantage of a loophole that allows them to send spammy emails from an internal Microsoft email address typically used for sending legitimate account alerts. It’s not clear how the scammers are abusing the system, but they have been able to set up new Microsoft accounts as if they are new customers, and use that access to send out emails purportedly from the tech giant itself, potentially tricking people into thinking that these emails may be genuine. Microsoft doesn’t yet appear to have gotten a handle on the issue. Last week, I received several, similarly structured emails containing subject lines and web links to scammy sites from Microsoft across different email accounts. These crudely made emails were sent from msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com, an email account that Microsoft uses to send important notifications to users, such as two-factor authentication codes and other critical alerts about their online account. Some of these emails’ subject lines resembled official emails that would alert users to fraudulent transactions, while other emails claimed to have a private messaging waiting for the recipient at a web address mentioned in the email body. In a social post on Tuesday, anti-spam non-profit, The Spamhaus Project, said it had also seen Microsoft’s account notification email address being abused to send spam, and that the activity dated back “several months.” “Automated notification systems should not allow this level of customization,” wrote Spamhaus. The non-profit added that it has notified Microsoft of the issue. When contacted by TechCrunch earlier this week, a Microsoft spokesperson acknowledged our inquiry, but has not yet commented or said if the company has stopped the abuse of its account notification email. This is the latest in a rash of incidents in which hackers or scammers have abused company systems to trick unsuspecting customers in recent months. Earlier this year, hackers broke into a platform used by fintech firm Betterment to send out fraudulent notifications that purported to triple the value of any crypto users send in — a widely known scam used to steal people’s cryptocurrency. Back in 2023, hackers similarly abused access to an email account run by Namecheap to send out phishing emails aimed at stealing people’s credentials. Other users commenting on social media say that other companies’ email addresses are also being used to send out spam, suggesting the issue is not limited to Microsoft. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Zack Whittaker Security Editor Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. He also authors the weekly cybersecurity newsletter, this week in security. He can be reached via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. You can also contact him by email, or to verify outreach, at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com. May 27 Athens, Greece StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone. Most Popular Sam Altman makes ‘mic drop’ offer to every Y Combinator startup Julie Bort Google Search as you know it is over Sarah Perez Anthropic has acquired the dev tools startup used by OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare Kirsten Korosec Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI Tim Fernholz Users turn to jailbreaking their older Kindles as Amazon ends support Lauren Forristal OpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accounts Ivan Mehta US orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China trip Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct AnthropicSAPSamsungMarc LoreTechCrunch DisruptTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.