How do I identify legitimate billing communications from AOL?

When AOL needs to contact you for any reason, we'll use AOL Certified Mail so you'll know it's legitimate AOL communication. We strive as hard as possible to prevent you from becoming a victim to fraud or phishing attempts.

Identifying AOL Certified Mail

To make certain that email is AOL Certified Mail, look for the following:

• A blue envelope in your inbox
• An Official AOL Mail seal on the border of the email

To learn more about our AOL Certified Mail, please see AOL Certified Mail.

Note: Fraudulent billing pop-ups usually ask for confidential billing information such as your driver's license number, credit card number, debit PIN number or Social Security Number — information we don't normally require for a change of payment method.

Keeping yourself safe

If you receive any account-related communication from AOL via email or pop-up, ask yourself:

• Is the email an AOL Certified Mail (does it have the above two traits)?
• Does the "From" email address end in @email.aol.com, @message.aol.com, @dc2.aol.com or @dc1.aol.com?
• Does the pop-up have an AOL contact phone number?
• Does the email message include your Username and AOL account number?

If you think you received a communication that can't be trusted:

• Don't give away any personal information.
• Always compare the link in the email to the URL you are actually directed to.
• Sign on to the official website instead of linking to it from an unsolicited email.
• Don't fill out any forms that ask for personal information.
• Let us know about fraudulent mail. Please! Forward it to antiphishing@aol.net.

Get better at identifying fraud by visiting our Account Security site at http://security.mail.aol.com.

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