New Yahoo email scam tricks you into sharing personal details – here’s what to do if you’ve been affected
A new scam attempts to trick Yahoo! email users into handing over their passwords
YAHOO! email users are being warned of a new scam that could see their personal and financial details stolen.
Criminals have been targeting users of the mail service with convincing emails, which encourage recipients to hand over their account passwords.
People who don't have a Yahoo! account are also being targeted.
The emails include the official Yahoo! logo and the correct first name of the victim, the reports.
The message states that the victim's account has been accessed by an unrecognised device in Saudi Arabia.
It then tells the victim that if it was not them who attempted to log into their account from Saudi Arabia, they should click on a link that allows them to change their password and update their recovery information.
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While it's unknown exactly what clicking on the link will do, there are two likely scenarios.
The link will either take the victim to a page where they enter their password, which the fraudster nicks to hack into their account and access their personal and financial information.
Or clicking on the link could download malicious malware onto the victim's computer - which is then used to collect sensitive information or data from the infected device.
Scam emails: what to look out for
SUSPICIOUS emails will often contain various red flag signs, such as:
- Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer
- Typos or grammatical errors
- Forged (or spoofed) e-mail addresses to make it look like the e-mail is coming from Yahoo!
- Requests for your Yahoo! username and/or password, or other personal information - this information is not usually requested by e-mail.
In what is probably not a coincidence, the scam has gone out at the same time as the news that Russian spies and hackers, allegedly involved in a Yahoo! hack which affected millions of users, have been charged by the US government.
The charges arise from a compromise of Yahoo user accounts that began in 2013.
More than one billion user accounts were hacked, with user data including names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and passwords stolen.
What to do if you've fallen victim to a scam
- IF you think you've been scammed, don't panic but be quick about changing passwords and login information to minimise potential damage
- If you think the fraudster could have access to your financial information, contact your bank/credit card company so that they can monitor for suspicious activity on your account
- Monitor your own account for any suspicious or unexpected activity
- If you've been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud, the UK's cybercrime reporting service, by calling 0300 123 2040.
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