Reporting Spam and Phishing in Outlook

Overview

This article explains how to report spam or phishing emails using Microsoft Outlook. Instructions are provided for both the Outlook Desktop App (Windows and macOS) and the Outlook Web App. Reporting suspicious messages helps protect your account and the university network.

Microsoft Outlook Desktop App (Windows or macOS)

There are two ways to report a phishing/spam email in the Microsoft Outlook desktop app for Windows or macOS.

Option 1 (Easiest): Use the "Report Message" Button 

Use the Report Message button in the toolbar to easily report suspicious messages or junk at the click of a button.

1. Highlight the spam or phishing e-mail, then click the Report Message button in the toolbar at the top.
2. Select the appropriate category for the message (Junk or Phishing).

Option 2: Send to spam@mnsu.edu

You can attach the suspicious message to an email and send it to the ITS security team at spam@mnsu.edu.

1. Highlight the spam or phishing message, then type CTRL-ALT-F (Windows) or CTRL-CMD-J (Mac) to create a new email with the spam or phishing message attached.
2. Send the new message to spam@mnsu.edu.

Microsoft Outlook Web App

There are two ways to report a phishing/spam email in the Microsoft Outlook web app.

Option 1 (Easiest): Use the "Report Message" Button 

Use the Report Message button in the toolbar to easily report suspicious messages or junk at the click of a button.

1. Highlight the spam or phishing e-mail, then click the Report button in the toolbar at the top.
2. Select the appropriate category for the message (Junk or Phishing).

Option 2: Send to spam@mnsu.edu

You can attach the suspicious message to an email and send it to the ITS security team at spam@mnsu.edu.

1. Click on New Message and then drag and drop the spam/phishing email to the body of the new email.
2. Send it to spam@mnsu.edu.

Outcome

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