Yahoo users who have received email messages like the one below, which claim that a request to shut down their accounts has been received, and they need to click on a link in the same email messages to cancel the request, is a phishing scam. The email messages are being sent by cyber criminals to trick the recipients into clicking on the link in them, which go to a phishing website disguised as Yahoo's legitimate website. Now, any attempt by visitors to sign into the phishing website will result in their Yahoo account credentials being sent to the cybercriminals behind the scam. Once the cyber criminals have received their potential victims' account credentials, they will use it to gain access to their accounts and use them fraudulently.
A Sample of a "Yahoo Request to Shut Down Mail" Phishing Scam
From: Yahoo! Mail <fzhang@apotex.com>
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2017 5:37 AM
Subject: **Final Announcement**
Yahoo! Mail
Dear Subscribers,
You Requested to Shut down your mail, Did you initiate this Action? If No, Kindly Cancel Request below by clicking the Cancel Request icon below your account will be automatically restored to it's normal Yahoo! settings
Cancel Request
Thanks for choosing Yahoo.
Regards,
Yahoo! Mail Team
To protect against phishing scams, Yahoo users should never click on a link to sign into their accounts, they should instead go directly to https://login.yahoo.com/ or use the Yahoo mobile app. Once they have signed in, they will be notified of important requests or updates.
Yahoo users who have been tricked by phishing scams are asked to change their password immediately before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently. For Yahoo users whose accounts have already been hijacked, they can click here for instructions to recover their accounts.
Yahoo users may add two-step verification for extra security. Two-step verification is another layer of security that uses your password plus a code to verify your identity when they sign in to their accounts on a new, unrecognized device for the first time. Yahoo will send their cell phone a code by text or phone call that only they will have access to. Click here to learn more about Yahoo Two-step verification or authentication and how to add to your account.