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Comment from James on 2012-02-10

2012-02-10T20:55:51Z

Good article. This just happened to me so I was searching for more information, Thanks!

I think its a scam to get your Phone and CC number...

Try signing up fora new account... You cant without a cell Phone number... Ah.. I doubt my account was ever hacked and used to violate the terms of service. hotmail is just my junk email account.

I think they are lying to me and holding my junk mail hostage to get my information! Keep it. I use Ubuntu because I don’t trust Microsoft. Ubuntu is a free secure OS. You can even edit PDF documents, free!

I am very careful with my passwords. If they can not keep the hackers out why would I give them my Phone or CC number?

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Comment from bob on 2011-10-27

2011-10-27T21:17:41Z

i have had my acc blocked because hotmail is not a safe site when somebody can hack my acc and use it i also have lost valuable records and pics and im pissed off with hotmail who cant even block the span and junk thet are supposed too

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Comment from thahir on 2011-10-24

2011-10-24T10:17:53Z

sir.

i hav one qustion about hotmail..i have one hotmail..when i try to open i got this msg "Your account has been blocked"...they required mi mobile number for verification.i sent mobile number but i didnt receive any msg from hotmail team...how can i solve this problm ? plz help me

This article discusses recovery options for the various ways that Hotmail accounts can be lost or compromised and I believe it applies here: What are my Lost Hotmail Account and Password Recovery Options?

25-Oct-2011

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Comment from Jed on 2011-09-16

2011-09-16T20:29:54Z

I have also tried to get my Hotmail account back. It was closed for suspicious activity. It's only used for online purchases. The questionaire they want filled out asks for mobile phone number to send a code for unlocking. Also a CC number which is not going to happen since I use none of their services that require a CC. If a hacker can gain control of their server to get into my account, why would I want to leave a CC number?

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Comment from Mike on 2011-05-18

2011-05-18T13:51:08Z

Shame on MSN for providing a popular service and doing absolutely nothing to support it. My account was closed for no reason and it would seem that I have little or no recourse.

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Comment from Mars on 2011-03-07

2011-03-08T04:29:06Z

I just had this happen to me!! :( I sent out responses to employers on Craigslist! I made all my accounts import to Hotmail and now what? That sucks.

This article discusses recovery options for the various ways that Hotmail accounts can be lost or compromised: What are my Lost Hotmail Account and Password Recovery Options? You can avoid this in the future by not putting all your important things into only a single free email account with little or no support.

08-Mar-2011

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Comment from Hugh on 2011-02-18

2011-02-18T19:10:28Z

Just had the same thing happen. I have been trying to locate an aopt for rent in London for a vacation in a few weeks. I was sending out responses to postings on Craiglist London, which seems to be rife with scammers. This is the only thing I can think of that t could have caused this. I, also, have lots of messages and the address book that I need to be able to access!

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Comment from Tim on 2010-09-24

2010-09-25T01:47:03Z

Followup: I had no success with the self-proclaimed "service" center. There is a severe, and I mean SEVERE lack of comprehension on the part of whomever Microsoft is hiring/outsourcing to handle the responses. Ultimately, I discovered that my cell carrier was not passing confirmation messages to my phone and once I enlisted the aid of my brother, was able to get back into my account. Sadly, the so-called security checks are not very secure :(

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Comment from Tim on 2010-09-24

2010-09-24T10:28:55Z

I've had my hotmail account since 1998 - I receive very little spam. Today I logged in and when I came back a bit later, Hotmail essentially told me 'we logged you out for your security we do this after 24 hours...'. When I logged back in, my account was blocked. I tried the secret question to no avail and my attempts to obtain a verification code via text message go nowhere. About a week ago Hotmail prompted me to change my password upon logging in. I tested the new password immediately by logging in from another PC, just in case I had been snookered. I then noticed there was a new feature to prompt for changing your password every 72 days. I am very suspicious this whole mess is caused by a Hotmail upgrade under the guise of added security. Looks like I'm about to learn an ugly lesson...

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Comment from J on 2010-09-11

2010-09-11T15:36:40Z

I have the same problem as everyone and that is CRAIGSLIST! i posted like the other guy about 4 msgs for an ipod and this is what ends up happening... total bs if you ask me. workarounds at the moment are taking time to devlope.

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Comment from esmeralda on 2010-08-05

2010-08-05T18:26:30Z

strangely enough, it just happened to me yesterday...i happen to email a few folks on craigslist. i think there is a connection with craigslist...are people on there hacking and compromising people's emails?

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Comment from Jay on 2010-08-02

2010-08-02T07:48:57Z

I responded to four different Craigslist postings for rooms to rent. I am now stationed over seas and will be returning in a little over a month. I had several possibilites saved on my email, along with obviously, thier return email for future contact. I lost everything I have done so far and am now back to square one. All my names, contacts, emails and phone numbers of these people are gone. I am way beyond mad at this point. I have sent two different requests asking them to look into my account. I've had the same account for three years!! Is this the thanks I get for supporting our country, giving them the freedom and the right to just shut down my account. Thanks..maybe I will buy a Mac now.

A Mac won't solve this problem. You need to not rely on free email services for anything important. I've said it again and again: Are free email services worth it?

02-Aug-2010

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Comment from Dee on 2010-06-30

2010-06-30T20:59:33Z

My msn account was also closed during a time when I was desperately seeking a free treadmill in Craigslist. Actually, Im on my 3rd or 4th e-mail address & like the others I have had my first account several years, but lucky for me dont have enough important stuff going on to "freak out"! Everytime I respond to one of these "ads" after shutting down my computer BOOM there it is again, that I have violated my account & that it is closed once again. I have been blaming craigslist for this or my lack of knowledge on outlook express. However, my husband thinks its much more sinister. What is happening here? Thank you so much for your time

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Comment from soupnazi on 2010-05-13

2010-05-13T17:56:06Z

3 weeks ago my account was hacked and my contact list was spammed. I searched forums to find what to do about it and found the common answer was to report to abuse@hotmail.com. The next day my account was closed.

I've been spending hours upon hours of my time trying to contact support. I decided to contact support for another department and I received a response within 24 hrs. I told them I was aware that this was the wrong department and explained my problem of not getting response from Windows Live Hotmail Support. They then sent me instructions to "solve" my problem. I did everything they told me to do and after a week of corresponding with 5 different support agents from the wrong department I received an email telling me I had the wrong department??????? Yes, Very frustrating.

I also thought I found support when I submitted the account validation questions at http://support.live.com where they opened a private forum after I submitted my information They said a support agent would respond within 24 or 48 hrs. One week later I had a reply that said my password is verified. Problem is my password isn't the problem. I can sign in but it just says my account is closed. Do support people actually read emails?

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Comment from James on 2010-05-10

2010-05-10T14:38:07Z

I had recived a few spam e-mails that looked and acted as if they ahd been sent from my account. I followed the stated steps in reporting account problems and next thing i know my account has been closed for over a week now and not a word from any of the support teams at all.

Why do i have to take the hit for reporting an issue when it wasn't me causing it? i cycle my account passwords on a regular basis and changed them as soon as i got this spam. Its not that someone has hacked my account, but it does look like somone has found a way of tagging spam e-mails with legitimate information to make it look like that e-mail account has been abused.

Why does microsoft treat its customers like fools? when all of their services as just so flawed?

My other e-mail account has been about for years, its been hacked, it gets spam and porn and all sorts of junk and yet microsoft leave it be and shutdown my clean good working account instead for me doing the right thing.

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Comment from J ATA on 2010-05-06

2010-05-06T23:39:29Z

My hotmail was just closed as well, no warning, not nothing. I would think with the tech we have today to open, we could do the same to reopen. I have been using hotmail since 2006...i'm not likely to be a threat as a spammer/scammer/crammer. Instead a daily user of an available system. Microsoft needs to have better handle on closing accounts...in some cases, the account are someone's life blood...years of information, contacts, history gone. I need this account back...I know you can do it and probably with very little effort...help is appreciated.

The steps available to you in the article you just commented on, where I also clearly state that I cannot recover accounts.

07-May-2010

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Comment from Saul Mcleod on 2010-04-15

2010-04-15T19:06:22Z

MY account too has been closed for weeks and no response , months of job applications and years of contacts lost, can I sui

Of course you can sue. The question is, will you win? I'm no lawyer, but I'm guessing you won't. Hotmail is a free service, and the terms of service that you agreed to when setting up the account I'm sure hold Hotmail free from any responsibility for data loss. This is why I so strongly recommend against free email accounts as the only place to keep important information. Those job applications and contacts should have been regularly backed up somewhere else, preferably on your own PC.

17-Apr-2010

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Comment from Guy Beauchamp on 2010-04-12

2010-04-12T12:13:16Z

I was forwarding my new e-mail address to my contacts & they blocked me from doing so, I receive e-mail but cannot forward it.

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Comment from gary Cobb on 2010-02-13

2010-02-13T12:53:41Z

I went to log on to hotmail to find it read account closed, access denied due to a violation of terms. I have no idea why this happened, i filled in the contact form and to date have not had a single reply. Any ideas how to get it back?

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Comment from dlh on 2009-07-20

2009-07-20T07:37:29Z

RE: Jeff's post and Leo's reply. What I've asked before and don't understand is why internet spam, scams, fraud, identity theft, etc. takes such a "back seat" with both internet service providers, et al, and with law enforcement. (I do realize lot of this crap originates in other countries.)

If a few (hundred) scammers/thieves got thrown in jail for 40 or 50 years maybe, just maybe, it would help.

Am I naive?

Ultimately: ISPs are busy enough just keeping things working, and while spam is annoying as all heck, it's -- annoying. Law enforcement tends to prioritize more serious crimes. My guess, anyway. (That being said, there are large sections of the FBI and other agencies battling it. It's juts a MASSIVE problem, and much, as you say, originates out of our jurisdiction.)

- Leo
20-Jul-2009

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Comment from Alex on 2009-07-02

2009-07-02T13:24:00Z

The first thing that you need to remember is that Hotmail or any other free web mail system is not secure, reliable, or open to argument if you lose it. Your only way to get decent free e-mail is the e-mail you get from your ISP (unless you are just too cheap to pay for a good ISP). I get 10 e-mail addresses from mine, and all my stuff, address book, saved messages, and other stuff is saved on my computer. Plus, do not use Lookout, er, I mean Outlook, Outlook Express, or Windows Mail unless you like to live dangerously. Try Mozilla Firefox, a true industry standard.

I suspect you mean Mozilla Thunderbird, the email program. (FireFox is the web browser.)

- Leo
02-Jul-2009

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Comment from James Ferris on 2009-07-01

2009-07-01T18:17:05Z

two notes...
First, when receiving any emails from any service, including from Hotmail, always examine the enclosed urls with extreme caution and prejudice. SPAMers love to send forged emails saying 'click here to get your account back'. This is actually how many people loose their account... clicking, giving their account info on a forged website, and that's that! When you get such an email, first check the providers help website (don't use the urls in the email to get there), and use the feadback access forms provided (eg the email address Leo gave in the atrticle). Then try logging in as you normally would just to see if there really is an issue.

Second, IncrediMail is great... but it's based on Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. So the weaknesses of each of these programs are the same weaknesses of IncrediMail. Neither can be really trusted for mission-critical email activities. The only truely business-grade email client from MS might be Outlook.

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Comment from Patricia Whitlow on 2009-06-30

2009-06-30T23:07:05Z

I use Hotmail as an email account since I left AOL. I have not had problems with it, but shortly after leaving AOL I found a program called IncrediMail. It is not an email provider, it is just a program that allows me to write and receive email. It also allows me to store my email and contacts right on my computer. It has a back up that I can use for my files and my contacts, which I keep on a safe source.
I was given to understand that outlook express is like this but I have never used it and know nothing about that. The incredimail was a free program when I first got it but I did purchase some addons. I can't imagine what on earth I would do without my IncrediMail program. It is such a great little program. If Hotmail locks me out I don't worry because all I would lose is one days mail. It comes into my incredimail each day when I open the account. Incredimail also has an add on Junk filter that is great.
Thought your readers might like to know.

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Comment from Jeff on 2009-06-30

2009-06-30T18:27:51Z

My daughter recently had her Hotmail account hacked and stollen. They changed the password and security question, so she could not log in or change her password etc. I filled out an online form that was rather lengthy, but within 24 hours she had her account back. She then closed it and opened a new account. The hacker sent out spam email to everyone in her contacts list asking for money in my daughters name. My daughter was alerted to this when a friend asked why she was asking for money.

I have traced the ip address to a military base in Arizona. What, if anything can she do to have this person caught and prosectuted if possible?

You'd need to contact law enforcement. In my opinion your chances of success are low, simple because there's so much of this, and it probably doesn't prioritize as high as other things the police need to deal with. But I could be wrong.

- Leo
01-Jul-2009

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Comment from Alan Newble on 2009-06-30

2009-06-30T17:04:34Z

What's wrong with Outlook Express or Windows Mail? I've used them for years, and any problems - the info is all there on my PC! Backed up if it is important.

I don't see how they relate to the article, but I will say this: based on the number of reports of lost and corrupt emails and database files, I would avoid Outlook Express for anything important. (Probably Windows Mail as well, since it's an Outlook Express derivative.)

- Leo
01-Jul-2009

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Comment from Mark Jacobs on 2009-06-26

2009-06-26T12:51:04Z

You for got the last and most important step. Be prepared to get the runaroung from Microsoft for several months before they solve your problem, if ever.

I had a problem sending from my GMX account to Hotmail. Hotmail flagged my provider as an abuser. It took several months for them to solve the problem and the problem continued to come back a few times.

I'd follow Leo's last suggestion. switch providers . GMail is great if you want to use an email client. Or Yahoo if you only use web mail. I like Gmail better even for web mail as yahoo sometimes does funny things with attachments.

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