For the informed, Yahoo! messenger phishing scam attempts are hardly new. However there are undoubtedly a number of you out there who may not be aware of just how clever some of these scams can be. Unlike scams of the past in Yahoo! IM, this time around they are coming from people who are actually in your contact list.
Protecting yourself:
- Never open up a recommended URL from instant messenger, even from friends (Windows users). Remember that IM messages can be spoofed. Consider setting up a ‘special keyword’ ahead of time with friends to be used that frequently send you links.
- While following the advice above (Windows), you may also opt to protect yourself even further with a non-Yahoo provided app for your Yahoo IM chatting. (Windows and Linux – Mac users)
- Trust no one, always be suspicious. Anytime anyone, anywhere online is asking for personal information – stop. Call the person immediately to verify if this is really that person. If it is, explain that you will not be providing any personal info over the incredibly insecure protocol provided by Yahoo!
- Rememeber, Yahoo! is still very much behind, despite efforts with its email services.
[tags]phishing, stolen identity[/tags]