The email message below with the subject: "Your mailbox has exceeded the storage limit," is a phishing scam that steals AOL user names and passwords. The email message was not sent by AOL, but by cyber-criminals, whose intentions are to gain access to their victims' AOL email accounts and use them for malicious and fraudulent purposes.
The "Your AOL Mailbox has Exceeded the Storage Limit" Phishing Email
AOL Mail
Subject: Update
Your mailbox has exceeded the storage limit is 1 GB, which is defined by the administrator, are running at 99.8 gigabytes, you can not send or receive new messages until you re-validate your mailbox.
To renew the mailbox click link below:
Click Here ->http://webmail-updating.com
Thank you!
Web mail system administrator!
WARNING! Protect your privacy. Logout when you are done and completely exit your browser.
The link in the email message goes to a malicious website that looks exactly like AOL's sign-in screen. If visitors to the website attempt to sign-in, their account credentials will be sent to the cybercriminals behind the fake AOL email message. Once the cybercriminals have their potential victims' accounts credentials, they will use it to gain access to and hijack their accounts and for malicious and fraudulent purposes.
Therefore, recipients of email messages like the sample above should never click on the link in them. They should instead, go directly to their email accounts by going to www.aol.com and signing in from there. If there is something wrong with their accounts, it will be shown to them after signing in.
AOL users who have been tricked by the phishing email are asked to change their AOL password immediately. And, if they are unable to, they should contact AOL immediately for help.