Numerous Microsoft Outlook users have reported floods of spam in their inboxes after the provider's spam filters allegedly stopped working. Microsoft is yet to confirm or deny this fault.

Outlook Users Are Hit with Spam Mail

On February 20, 2023, Microsoft Office Outlook users began reporting that their inboxes were receiving more spam mail than usual. After a short period, it appeared that a large number of users were being affected by this issue.

It seems that a kind of Outlook bug has resulted in the malfunction of the email provider's spam filters, though the origin or nature of this flaw has not yet been confirmed.

Users Have Reported Concerning Volumes of Spam

It didn't take long for various social media platforms to be filled with posts regarding this incident.

As shown in the tweet above, some users are experiencing waves of notifications for different kinds of spam mail that would usually be redirected to their spam folder. It seems that users' Safe Sender feature is currently being overlooked, meaning hordes of suspicious emails are landing in their general inboxes.

Some users are also angry with Microsoft for this incident, with one claiming in a Reddit post that "It's definitely deliberate. Microsoft doesn't care one bit." This user also claimed to have received 36 spam emails in their inbox within two hours on their Outlook account.

Another Twitter user shared a screenshot of their Outlook inbox filled with spam mail.

Microsoft Is Yet to Comment on This Incident

At the time of writing, Microsoft has not released any statement on this ongoing issue. On the Office service health webpage, it seems that all is well, with Outlook being displayed as fully functional. However, Down Detector has reported multiple complaints from users, with huge spikes shown in the latter half of February 20.

As shown in the Down Detector chart above, the frequency of complaints seemed to ease for a short while, but has since increased once again.

Microsoft may comment on this worrying spam wave in the coming days, with so many users asking for an explanation. But time will tell whether this incident is investigated.

Spam Mail Continues to Endanger Email Users

While spam communications can be sent across various channels, email platforms are a particularly hot target for nuisance senders and scammers. Without the relevant filters intact, the risk of interacting with malicious groups and individuals only increases. This is why such features are crucial to have in place on your email accounts.