Criminals attempting to steal AOL users’ credentials send phishing emails threatening account closure until recipients confirm their email address and password.
According to Bitdefender Antispam Lab, the phishing effort targeting AOL users was discovered on February 23.
Magnitude of the scam
Cybercriminals deploy fear tactics, as they have in prior email phishing attacks, and email topics range from “account closed” to “final warning.”.
In some variations of this scam, the perpetrator gives victims a 24-hour window to validate their account login data, after which they will be unable to receive or send emails.
Despite the fact that most emails aren’t particularly complex, some AOL customers may be enticed to click on fake links and unwittingly expose their passwords to fraudsters.
According to a phony email, “your email account password expires today.” “To confirm your password, follow the instructions below. Otherwise, you won’t be able to access your mailbox. “
In a different version, crooks inform customers that their inbox storage space has been surpassed and that they can upgrade their accounts for free.
How to protect yourself from phishing emails
When dealing with a phishing assault, one of the first things you should do is examine the sender’s email address and accompanying message. Phishing emails frequently provide the sense that they are urgent, based on the widespread belief that most users put off changing and checking account credentials and passwords.
As a general rule, be wary of any notifications that appear to be urgent and push you to “take action now,” or your account will be locked out.
Check the official website for news or updates instead of clicking on the link in the email.
Conclusion
Try changing your account password if you have any doubts or know you have entered your credentials on a website or clicked on a suspicious link. If you can’t get into your account, contact your support service provider and change the passwords on any other accounts that use the same credentials right away.