Yahoo or Y!Mail users who have received email messages like the one below, which claim that a request to delete their email boxes permanently has been received, should delete them and not follow the instructions in them. This is because they are phishing scam being used to target Yahoo users. The phishing email messages also claim that if the recipients do not reconfirm their accounts they will be permanently deleted. But, this is just another trick being used by cybercriminals to trick Yahoo users into clicking on the link in it. The link in the email messages goes to a fake Yahoo website that will ask visitors to sign-in. Once visitors attempt to sign into the fake website with their Yahoo credentials, it will be sent to the cybercriminals behind the phishing scam.
The "Yahoo or Y!Mail Request to Delete your Email Box Permanently" Phishing Scam
From: "Mail." <gloria.dehoyos@fwisd.org>
Date: October 20, 2017 at 10:50:37 AM PDT
Subject: Action Mail Required
Y! Mail
Dear,
We recently received a request from you to delete your email box permanently. Please reconfirm your request by choosing either of the two options below but please note that if you fail to click on option 1 we have no other choice than to delete your email box.
1. Click Here to continue using our service (log in
your details).
2. Click Here to discontinue using our
service.
Once the cybercriminals have received the stolen Yahoo credentials, they will use it to hijack their potential victims’ accounts and use the accounts fraudulently. This is why Yahoo users should never click on links in email messages to sign into their accounts, they should instead, go directly to https://mail.yahoo.com and sign into their email accounts from there. If there is someone that needs to be done their accounts, they will be notified after signing in.
Yahoo users who have been tricked by the phishing scam are asked to change their passwords immediately before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently. For Yahoo users whose accounts have already been hijacked, may click here for help to recover them.