Yahoo users, be aware of fake "Mailbox Account At Risk" emails like the one below, which claim that virus activity has been detected in your email account and you need to click on a link to run a quick email scan. The fake emails are phishing scams being sent by cybercriminals to steal Yahoo usernames and passwords, by tricking Yahoo users into visiting a phishing website that steals email account credentials. And, Yahoo will never ask you to click on a link to run a virus scan, they will scan your emails automatically and remove any known viruses.
The "Yahoo Mailbox Account At Risk" Phishing Scam
From: YAH00 <accounting_ack@yahoo.co.id>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2019, 04:31:42 PM GMT+2
Subject: WARNING ALERT: Mailbox Account At Risk
YAHOO!
Dear Customer,
Virus activities have been detected in your email account.
To keep your account safe, please follow the URL below to run a quick email scan now.
Click Here To Run A Quick Email Scan To Scan
WARNING CODE: UWT647
Note: If you ignore this notice, your account will be suspended without further notice to protect our server from further damage.
Sincerely,
Source: Email Security Team
Y! Copyright © 2019 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 the 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 cybercriminals fraudulently.
Remember, if you receive email messages like these, please go directly to your email account instead of clicking on the links in the email messages. If there is something wrong with 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.
For victims whose accounts have already been hijacked, click here for help.