Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

AOL Incoming Mails on Hold - Outgoing and Incoming is Blocked Phishing Scams

AOL users who have received email messages like the one below, which claim that their outgoing and incoming emails have been blocked because their daily mail bounce count exceeds their limits, should delete the email messages and not follow the instructions in them. This is because the email messages are phishing scams sent by cyber criminals and NOT by AOL, to trick AOL users into clicking on the link in the fake and malicious email message that goes to a phishing website that steals AOL email account username and password.

A Sample of the "AOL Incoming Mails on Hold" Phishing Scam

From: "@ol Member" <finz@windstream.net>

Date: October 30, 2017 at 4:16:22 PM EDT

Subject: Mails on Hold

Dear User

Your Mail Outgoing and Incoming is blocked. Reason : Daily Mail Bounce Count Exceeds Limit [ Bounce count=10 ]

Please follow the link below to unblock yourself:

Update Now

This is an automated message, please do not reply to this mail

AOL users who have already received the phishing email messages, and who have followed the instructions in them, are asked to change their AOL account passwords immediately before their accounts are hijacked by cybercriminals and used fraudulently.

AOL users should never click on a link to sign into their accounts, they should instead, go directly to https://mail.aol.com and sign-in from there. They will be notified of important changes or alerts after signing in if there is any.

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