Yahoo users, if you have received email messages claiming that you need to upgrade to Yahoo Mail 7.1 and threaten to close your accounts if you do not, please delete the same email messages and do not follow the instructions in them. This is because the email messages are phishing scams being sent by cybercriminals to trick Yahoo users into clicking on the link in them, which goes to phishing websites that steal Yahoo usernames and passwords.
A Sample of the "Upgrade to Yahoo Mail 7.1" Email Scam
Dear Valued User,
Mail version is outdated,
Failure to Upgrade to the newest Yahoo Mail 7.1 now will result to a permanent account closure.
According to provision 17.9 of Terms and Conditions, Yahoo may at anytime terminate its services for accounts.
To upgrade follow the link below and accept our new terms and conditions.
UPGRADE NOW
Thanks, Yahoo! Mail Team
Yahoo users should never click on a link to sign into their accounts; they should instead, go directly to mail.yahoo.com or yahoo.com and sign-in from there. Once they are signed in, they will be alerted to updates, changes or other important notifications. Going directly to Yahoo’s website to sign into their accounts, will protect Yahoo users from phishing links that go to fake websites that steal usernames and passwords. Phishing websites steal their visitors’ usernames and passwords by asking them to sign into their accounts on the same fake website. Once visitors to the websites attempt to sign-in, their usernames and passwords (credentials) will be sent to the cybercriminals responsible for the phishing websites. As soon as the cyber criminals receive their potential victims’ usernames and passwords, they will sign into their accounts, hijack and use them fraudulently.
Yahoo users who have been tricked by the "Update to Yahoo Mail 7.1" or "Upgrade to Yahoo Mail 7.1" email scam, are asked to change their Yahoo passwords immediately before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently.
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