Scam of the day – March 12, 2014 – More AOL scams

by | Mar 12, 2014 | Scam of the day, Site Related

Although it is nowhere near as popular as it once was, America Online (AOL) is still used for email by more than 2.5 million people and that means that it will be a target for identity thieves and hackers who are constantly sending out new “phishing” emails attempting to lure people into clicking on tainted links that are infected with malware.  When the unwary receiver of the email clicks on the link, he or she unwittingly downloads keystroke logging malware on to his or her computer or other device that will steal personal information from the victim’s device and use it to make the person a victim of identity theft.   Phishing is the name for the tactic when an identity thief sends a message that looks like it is from a legitimate source and persuades the victim to respond by either clicking on a link that will download malware or into providing requested personal information that will be used to make the person a victim of identity theft.  Here are a couple of examples of AOL phishing emails presently being circulated.  DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINKS.

Dear Valid User,

Your account was accessed from a device we did not recognize 69.80.22.206 at (Ireland )  09:00 Irish Standard Time). If you did not check it from another device, please CLICK HERE to your account.

Sincerely, Aol Service.”

and

“User,
Click here now to confirm the validity of your account.

 Thanks again for choosing our Service.
Sincerely, America Online Team”
TIPS
You will notice that the first example had a good reproduction of the AOL logo and what appears to be a legitimate reason to contact you.  The second example is pretty shoddy and does not appear terribly official.  It is also important to note that in both instances, these emails are being sent from email addresses that were stolen by hackers who hacked into and took control of the email accounts of legitimate AOL users.  However, the addresses do not indicate anything to make you think that it is an official address for AOL as a company.  The key lesson to remember, however, is that regardless of how legitimate an email looks that contains an email or an attachment, you should never click on the link or download the attachment until you have confirmed that it is legitimate.  You can never be sure when you receive an email or text message as to who is really sending it.  The best course of action is to always confirm that it is legitimate before clicking on any link or downloading any attachment.  In this case a call or email to the real AOL should have been done by anyone who had the slightest thought that the emails might have been legitimate.