Don't take the bait from phishing scams: Use a sign-in seal

Fraudsters send fake emails or set up fake web sites that mimic Yahoo!'s sign-in pages (or the sign-in pages of other trusted companies, such as eBay or PayPal) to trick you into disclosing your user name and password. This practice is sometimes referred to as "phishing" — a play on the word "fishing" — because the fraudster is fishing for your private account information.

Creating a personalized Yahoo! sign-in seal will help ensure that you're on an official Yahoo! site and not a fraudulent look-alike. A sign-in seal is a secret message or image that you select to protect your account from phishing. You'll see it when you sign in to Yahoo!: It indicates that you're on a legitimate Yahoo! site.

Be careful when giving out personal information

Be cautious about giving out your credit card numbers, Social Security number, bank account numbers, driver license number, and passwords. Never include this information in an email, which is generally not secure. Be suspicious of any company that asks for this information in an email or instant message. Most legitimate companies will never ask you to confirm sensitive data in an online form or in an email, and will instead use conventional mail when requesting this information.

Yahoo! will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited email or phone call. And we'll never ask you to send your password or credit card information by email.

Don't fall for spam tricks

Spam — also called junk or unsolicited mail — is more than just annoying. It can separate you from your money, and lead to more and more spam in your inbox. To protect yourself and your privacy, never respond to unsolicited email. Don't follow a spam email's instructions to reply with the word "remove" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line or body of the message unless you trust the source. Never click on a link or web address in a spam email, even if the email tells you that's how to unsubscribe. Don't sign up with sites that promise to remove your name from spam lists.