Yahoo users who have received fake email messages like the one below, which claim their accounts will be closed, terminated or shut down if they do not update their email accounts, are asked to delete them. This is because the fake email messages are phishing scam being sent by cyber criminals to steal Yahoo usernames and passwords, by tricking Yahoo users into visiting a phishing website that steals email account credentials.
The "Yahoo Mail Account Termination Notice Upgrade Now" Phishing Scam
Subject: Fw: YAHOO MAIL ACCOUNT TERMINATION NOTICE (UPGRADE NOW)!!
Date: Tue 18/07/2017 07:37
From: Charles Fischer
YAHOO!!
Dear User,
Our server is under maintenance now and all mail users are required to update your account now.
Failure to Update email account now will result to a permanent account closure.
UPGRADE NOW
What You Can Look Forward To When You Upgrade
Faster email
The latest Yahoo! Mail spam-protection technology
Easier to use design
Unlimited email storage so that you can keep everything you want
Thanks,
Please do not reply to this message. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered
The link in the phishing email message goes to a fake or phishing Yahoo website, which will attempt to trick the potential victims into entering their usernames and passwords on it. If Yahoo users attempt to sign into phishing website with their Yahoo usernames and passwords, it will be sent to the cybercriminals behind the email scam, who will use the information to hijack their accounts. The hijacked Yahoo accounts will then be used by cyber criminals fraudulently.
Yahoo users who have received email messages asking them to click on a link to update or upgrade their accounts are asked to go directly to their email accounts at https://mail.yahoo.com, instead of clicking on the links in the email messages. If there is something that needs to be done to their accounts they will be notified after signing in. And, Yahoo users who have already been tricked by the phishing scam, are asked to change their passwords immediately before their Yahoo accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently.