Employee left the business but is still using her work email address

[FYLM]

And according to Microsoft, there is NOTHING they can do about it.

I set up a small business 2 years ago. One of my employees left last week. I called Microsoft as we are with Office 365 to reset her email account with a new password so that she could not access it and I could manage the account myself (I am a sole trader). The email address she was using was the generic one, "hello@....".

As she changed all the passwords, Microsoft have said there is nothing they can do. I can't get into Office 365, I can't reclaim the email address from her, there is literally NOTHING I can do.

All they keep saying is "contact your HR", "contact your IT dept", etc. I don't have these things - I am a sole trader!

Can anyone advise me please? Thanks.

I'd pay a lawyer for an hour and see if a cease and desist will solve it.

@MrsTerryPratchett I don't have the money for that.

I think what I need is technical help. There has to be a way of reclaiming my email address.

Who runs your domain (the bit after the @ in the email address)? Could they do something?

Have you spoken to her about it? What does she say?

The website domain is with Go Daddy, which I own.
The emails are with Microsoft Office 365 which I also own.

As above but also perhaps look locally and ask around for an independent computer repair/IT specialist (not curry’s!). They may know how to do what you need doing?

After all, phones weren’t meant to be susceptible to jailbreaking - but they can be. Iyswim.

What have you tried so far? I assume you've spoken to her etc? Why doesn't she want to give it back to you? Seems very weird!

From a technical side what happens if you click forgotten password? Is the email address linked to your phone number or other email address as it's backup? Legally, you could find a "letter before action" template online and send that to your ex employee.

@AmIOverReacting20 She changed all the linked contact details to her own personal ones.

Is she doing it maliciously? You’ve asked her to send the password and she’s refused?

If you control the name servers then you could just switch the email from office 365 to gsuite say?
This would reroute emails into an inbox you controlled.

The name severs will be run through godaddy where your domain is held.

Hi @GrimDamnFanjo Would I do that through Go Daddy? That's who the website it with.

Close the Office 365 account?

@mackthepony I can't, I don't have the passwords! She changed them all.

You’ve asked her to supply the passwords and she has refused?

You're not the admin of your business 365 account?

You need to be the admin of the account.
An admin can block logins, emails etc.

Who owns the actual website name?
What email is used for the control panel to Go Daddy?

If you're the admin you should be able to reset it all on go daddy

They are saying they cannot validate my account because without the code which they are sending to the employee! OMG I am furious.

It's not with Go Daddy, it's with Microsoft.

Have you actually spoken to the ex employee? Are you not the admin on the account?

I don't understand why she'd do this maliciously? Have you spoken to her?

This is theft isn't it ? Go to the police. They have people for that. It will be dealt with swiftly. Just a meeting with a nice officer will make her bolt quite quickly.

Is this not covered under GDPR?