ERNIEB
Platinum Member
I thought I would warn everyone about a scam being run on AOL to steal passwords. It works like this. You get an Offical looking email that appears to be from AOL. Here is a portion of one I recently recieved.
<font color=blue>Dear Member,
America Online has been receiving logs of your account that are not necessary. Either someone has been using your account or AOL was receiving error logs. Please verify you're an authorized AOL member and fix this problem by visiting our verification area listed below. If you are not authorized to use this account, please disregard this message and AOL will be investigating non verified accounts. *Note: If you do not log-in to our secure verification site, we will be forced to suspend your account because of the problems it may cause America Online.</font color=blue>
Then they have a hyperlink to a site that looks exactly like an AOL site with a place to enter your screen name, and password. Fill it out, hit submit, and you just gave your password to a hacker.
Another I have recieved claims that an instant message has violated TOS, go to this site and enter your screen name and password to delete it from records. yea right.
I have also recieved instant messages from people claiming to be with AOL. They tell you someone has been using your password, and they have a hyperlink to "verify" that you are the real account holder.
The past few days I have been getting 3 to 4 of these emails per day, and about an equal number of IM's. I have forwarded or reported all to the real AOL. I also called them and they said they are aware of the problem, and were working on it.
I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me if they can do it with one ISP, they can do it with others. Be on guard.
Ernie
<font color=blue>Dear Member,
America Online has been receiving logs of your account that are not necessary. Either someone has been using your account or AOL was receiving error logs. Please verify you're an authorized AOL member and fix this problem by visiting our verification area listed below. If you are not authorized to use this account, please disregard this message and AOL will be investigating non verified accounts. *Note: If you do not log-in to our secure verification site, we will be forced to suspend your account because of the problems it may cause America Online.</font color=blue>
Then they have a hyperlink to a site that looks exactly like an AOL site with a place to enter your screen name, and password. Fill it out, hit submit, and you just gave your password to a hacker.
Another I have recieved claims that an instant message has violated TOS, go to this site and enter your screen name and password to delete it from records. yea right.
I have also recieved instant messages from people claiming to be with AOL. They tell you someone has been using your password, and they have a hyperlink to "verify" that you are the real account holder.
The past few days I have been getting 3 to 4 of these emails per day, and about an equal number of IM's. I have forwarded or reported all to the real AOL. I also called them and they said they are aware of the problem, and were working on it.
I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me if they can do it with one ISP, they can do it with others. Be on guard.
Ernie
