"Yahoo Account Deletion and Unlock" Phishing Scams
Yahoo is not deleting or locking email accounts, therefore, Yahoo users who have received email messages like the one below, which claim that their accounts will be deleted or locked are asked to delete them. This is because the 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.
Sample of a "Yahoo Account Deletion, Lock or Unlock" Phishing Scam
From: Yahoo Service - mmonfort@uco.edu
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 3:40:12 AM EDT
Subject: Unlock Account
Dear
We received your request to delete your account
We will process your request within 3 days.
All features associated with your account will be lost.
If you didn't make this request, Kindly cancel Request to continue using our services.
CANCEL REQUEST
Thanks,
Yahoo Team
© 2017 Yahoo Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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.
Remember, if you receive email messages like these, please go directly to your email account at https://mail.yahoo.com, instead of clicking on the links in the email messages. If some needs to be done to your account, it will be shown to you after signing in. And, if you were tricked by one of these phishing scams, please change your password immediately before your Yahoo account is hijacked and used fraudulently.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.