Hello,

My Hotmail account has been hacked twice in less than a week. Please help.

A few days ago, when my account was first hacked, I tried to reinitialise my password online (account.live.com/password/reset). But because all of my personal security information had been modified or deleted by the hacker, all of my many requests failed. I kept receiving the same email from the Microsoft Support Team in Redmond:

“Unfortunately, we were unable to verify your ownership using the information that was provided”.

I then tried getting in touch with the UK Support Team (I live in London) to try and speak to someone since the online method wasn’t getting me anywhere. Let’s remain polite and say that they couldn’t much but to re-direct me to the same useless link: account.live.com/password/reset. The person actually mentioned that, as a last resort, they could charge me for trying to retrieve the date, which I found utterly insulting and infuriating. I had done nothing wrong. If anything, Microsoft was the one that failed to keep my data secured and protected, as it is contractually obliged.

I then called the French Support Team (I set up my account whilst in France more than 10 years ago). After the same bureaucratic chat and the same referral to the same useless link in my situation, they did eventually figured out a way to solve the situation. They just sent me a link to which I could reset my password because I had proven my identity and provided all the accurate information over the phone.

This was this morning at around 9am. I was absolutely delighted that a stranger wasn’t in control of 10 years of personal emails, photos, and videos.

Unfortunately, towards midday, I received another email asking me whether I wanted to confirm the new change of email, which I found weird, given that I’d already received a similar email, minutes after I reset it at 9.

The hacker managed to change my password again because his secury information hadn’t been removed by the Support team.

Which I realised later when I tried to log in again on account.live.com/password/reset only to see that the alternative email option wasn’t my email but someone else’s (*** Email address is removed for privacy ***) and my phone number didn’t match the *****80.

So now, because they have multiple unsuccessful recovery attempts for the past few days, I’m actually recommended by the Support Team in Redmond to… create a new account.

I find this extraordinary. I’m no longer in possession of what is mine and the corporation who should be able to solve the issue is letting the hacker win. Absolutely devastating. Please help.

 Thank you.