Microsoft 365 outage: how to spot the scams that follow

Information correct at 5pm, Friday 13 November 2026

If Outlook, Teams or your work email has been playing up since Thursday, you are not alone. Microsoft has had a major outage, and it is a technical fault, not a hack. The bigger risk now is the wave of scam emails, texts and calls that usually follows a big news story like this. A few simple habits will keep you, your staff and your customers safe.

What happened to Microsoft 365?

From Thursday evening (12 November), many people could not open their Outlook mailboxes, and some Teams calendar and meeting features stopped working. Copilot, Planner and Power BI were also affected for some users.

Microsoft says a large number of its servers became unexpectedly unavailable, which put extra strain on the rest. It later said a process that handles secure connections had become overwhelmed, and it began reversing a recent network change linked to the start of the problem. Its final explanation will come in a post-incident report.

At the peak, Outlook problem reports on the outage-tracking site Downdetector reached roughly 130,000 to 140,000, according to news reports. It affected organisations worldwide, including some UK police forces.

Was it a cyber attack?

No. Microsoft says it has no indication of malicious activity. This was a technical fault inside Microsoft's own systems, so there is no need to reinstall Office, delete your email profile or reset your password just because of the outage.

Will I lose my emails?

Most delayed emails should still arrive. Microsoft has extended how long it holds delayed mail to 48 hours, so messages sent during the outage should be delivered as service returns. Expect a rush of late emails as the backlog clears.

Why do scammers jump on outages?

Because frustrated people are more likely to click. When thousands of businesses are waiting for a fix, a message that promises one looks helpful rather than suspicious.

There are two extra risks this time:

• A flood of late emails. When the backlog clears, your inbox may fill up all at once. It is easy to click quickly through a pile of messages, and that is exactly what scammers count on.
• Some safety checks were affected. During the outage, Microsoft reported that one of its tools for checking links in emails (Safe Links) might not be able to verify web addresses. Your usual protection may not have caught everything, so take extra care with anything that arrived in the last couple of days.

What scams should I watch out for?

Be wary of any message about the outage that asks you to sign in, pay or claim something. Common examples include:

• "Fix your Outlook" or "please sign in again" emails and texts with a link.
• Phone calls claiming to be Microsoft support, offering to fix your computer.
• Refund or compensation offers for the outage.
• Fake invoices saying a payment failed and you need to pay again.
• QR codes in emails or letters asking you to scan and log in.
• Anything urgent, such as "act now or lose your account".

How can I tell if a message is genuine?

Go to the website yourself rather than clicking a link. That one habit stops most scams. Here are some quick checks:

• Hover before you click. Rest your mouse over a link (or press and hold on a phone) to see where it really goes.
• Use your usual app or bookmark, or type the address yourself, rather than following a link in a message.
• Microsoft will not phone you out of the blue. In its own words, "Microsoft will never proactively reach out to you to provide unsolicited PC or technical support." If someone calls offering to fix your computer, hang up.
• Never call a number in a pop-up or error message. Microsoft says genuine error messages never include a phone number.
• Never share a code from your authenticator app or a text message, with anyone, for any reason.
• Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for email and banking. MFA means a second check, such as a code on your phone, when you log in. It is one of the best protections there is.
• If in doubt, ask. A colleague, a family member or your IT provider. Taking a moment is never silly.

What should I do if I think I have clicked?

Act quickly, and do not feel embarrassed. It happens to careful people every day, and acting fast makes a real difference.

• Change your password from a device you trust, and anywhere else you use the same one.
• Tell your IT provider, or whoever looks after your computers, straight away.
• Report scam emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk
• Report scam texts by forwarding them to 7726 (free on most UK networks).
• Entered card or bank details? Call your bank using the number on the back of your card.
• Lost money or been hacked? Report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in December 2025 and covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Reporting really does help. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) says its suspicious email reporting service has received more than 58.9 million reports since 2020, leading to around 460,000 malicious web addresses being taken down.

Where can I find genuine updates?

• Microsoft service status: status.cloud.microsoft/m365, or @MSFT365Status on X.
• Trusted scam advice: ncsc.gov.uk, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.
• Your own IT provider: use the phone number you already have, not one from an email.

What can small businesses learn from this?

Have a way to reach customers that does not depend on your email. When Outlook went down, many businesses could not reply to enquiries, and customers had no idea why.

A few simple steps help next time:

• Add a short notice to your website if your email is down, with a phone number customers can use instead.
• Post an update on your Google Business Profile and social media, so people searching for you see it.
• Keep a list of key contacts (staff, suppliers, your IT provider) somewhere other than your inbox.

Frequently asked questions

Please share this with family, friends, colleagues or any local group it might help.

Need a hand? If your email is down and you want a quick notice added to your website or Google Business Profile, call the Kangaroo team on 01530 560177. We are happy to help.