Catching the Phishers

Scam artists continue to get sneakier—so look for these red flags

With phishing attempts and other types of fraudulent activity affecting Internet users these days, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of our policies regarding personal information.

The most important thing to remember is: We will never ask you for any private information in an email, nor will we proactively contact you by phone and ask for contact, account or financial information.

Report fraudulent emails
If you ever receive an email claiming to be from Yahoo! (or suggesting a connection to your business through Yahoo!) that asks for private information like account details, a password, or credit card or other financial information, do not respond to it. Instead, please forward the email to our security department at phishing@cc.yahoo-inc.com. This type of email fraud is called phishing, because it’s designed to lure recipients into sharing private information.

We invite you to learn more about phishing—like what to do if you think you’ve been phished—at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/abuse/. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting all Internet companies and users, and we take it very seriously. You can also find a guide to online security at http://security.yahoo.com/.

How to beat the phishers
To help you protect yourself against phishing attacks, we encourage you to follow these basic tips:

1. Be alert for suspicious emails.
2. Do not reply to email or pop-up messages asking for personal or financial information.
3. Regularly log into online accounts and check credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate.
4. Use personal security technologies such as anti-virus, firewalls and anti-spam software, and keep them up to date.

Yahoo! is fighting phishing scams by deploying advanced technologies, collaborating across our industry, supporting public policy efforts, and increasing consumer awareness. It’s that last one—consumer awareness—that we’d like to reinforce with you.

Don’t be fooled by official-looking emails from other parties claiming to be Yahoo! or acting on Yahoo!’s behalf! Remember, we won’t ask you for confidential information in an email or a phone call, unless you initiate it to us—ever.

— The Team