E-mail and instant messaging allow you to contact your friends, family, and coworkers quickly and easily. Unfortunately, they also allow some people to send out a large number of unwanted and unsolicited e-mail and instant message scams. AOL provides you with the means to report unwanted e-mail and instant messages to help you keep yourself safe online.
FAQs
What is an official AOL mail?
When AOL needs to contact you for an official reason, you will receive an Official AOL® Mail. Official AOL Mail is a feature designed to help you to easily identify e-mail that has been sent by AOL, and could prevent you from falling prey to any attempts at misusing your AOL account. Official AOL Mail has the following three important attributes:
- A blue envelope in your online mailbox
- A dark blue border around the body of the mail message
- An Official AOL Mail seal in the mail border
To learn more about this feature, go to AOL® Keyword: Official AOL Mail. You can access this keyword only through the AOL software.
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What is a fraudulent billing e-mail?
Fraudulent billing e-mails are those that ask for confidential billing information (any information that is normally not required for a change of payment method like driver's license number, credit card pin number, and Social Security Number). To protect yourself from such e-mails and pop-ups, please visit our online help article Fraudulent billing pop-up.
What are file requests and attachments?
Some e-mail and instant message scams try to get you to download files to your computer. The files often contain viruses that may cause your computer to run incorrectly or send out your password so that someone else can access your account. The files may be presented as a picture, a game, or an electronic greeting. The best policy to keep your computer safe is to never open or accept any file unless it is an expected file from someone you know.
What are AOL-related hoaxes?
You may receive e-mails or instant messages from people claiming to be from AOL. If you did not initiate the contact, AOL will not contact you via instant message for any problems related to your account. All e-mails that you receive from official AOL sources will have all the abovementioned Official AOL Mail attributes.
You may also receive messages claiming that AOL will start charging for services like instant messaging or sending e-mail. These features are included as part of the regular AOL service and will not be charged for separately.
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What is a jdbgmgr.exe (teddy bear) hoax?
You may have heard that a lot of viruses are let loose over the Internet. However, some of these viruses aren't really out there at all. Virus hoaxes are more than mere annoyances. They may lead some users to routinely ignore all virus warning messages, leaving them vulnerable to a genuine, destructive virus.
The jdbgmgr.exe hoax is a fraudulent e-mail designed to trick users into deleting a legitimate file, jdbgmgr.exe, from their computer. Jdbgmgr.exe is the Microsoft® Debugger Registrar for Java that displays this icon.
Therefore, the e-mail message stating that this file is a threat to your computer is a hoax. Although the jdbgmgr.exe file may become infected by a number of valid viruses (most commonly, the W32/Magistr@MM virus), the details of this hoax message are not based on actual events. We advise users who receive the e-mail to delete the message. Please do not pass this e-mail on as this is how an e-mail hoax propagates.
What are chain e-mails and petitions?
Chain letters ask you to forward a specific message to others promising health, wealth, or good luck.
Petitions ask you to forward a message to others to demonstrate support for a cause.
Both chain letters and petitions create more mail in everyone's mailbox and may inadvertently give your e-mail address to people who will send you more spam.
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What are pyramid schemes?
Pyramid schemes ask you to send money to someone and place your name on a list. Eventually, your name and address supposedly reaches the top of the list and others will send you money. Pyramid schemes violate the AOL® Terms of Service.
What are third-party charges scams?
You may receive e-mails claiming to be from a company that has billed your AOL payment method. These e-mails will include a hyperlink that leads to a Web site that asks you to either enter your screen name and password or download files to your computer. The information that you enter is sent to the scammer who can then sign on to your AOL account, read your e-mail, or violate AOL Terms of Service and eventually cause your account to be terminated. Files that you might download from such Web sites may contain computer viruses or Trojan horse programs that have been designed to steal your AOL password. Therefore, AOL strongly suggests you to not download files or attachments from e-mails received from unknown senders.
What are 800 and 888 phone number scams?
Instead of asking for your password or credit card number directly, a scammer may give you an 800 or 888 number and PIN number (for a pager or similar service). When you get through and enter the PIN number, it sounds very official, saying it is AOL and asking you to reveal your password and/or credit card number. Although it sounds legitimate, it is not. AOL will never ask for your information in such a manner.
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What are junk e-mails, prizes, and contests?
Junk e-mails are any unsolicited advertising, promotional material, or other forms of solicitation masquerading as e-mail messages. In addition to being a nuisance, junk mails can carry dangerous Trojan horse programs. These programs come to your mailbox as e-mail attachments disguised as software, screen savers, photos, or some other offers of free products. If you mistakenly download one of these attachments, the Trojan horse program captures your password and mails it back to the hacker's e-mail address.
Contest scams try to trick you into providing your credit card or personal information in order to receive a prize that you have allegedly won. Often the scammer will claim to need the information to cover the shipping and handling costs for your prize. With this information, the scammer can make purchases with your credit card or even alter your credit information, and you never receive the prize that you supposedly won.
How do I report instant message violations?
If you receive an unwanted instant message, you can report the message to AOL® Community Action Team.
Report instant message violation with AOL® 9.0 VR
1. On the Instant Message window, click the Report IM Spam link.
2. On the Thank You window, click the Notify AOL button.
Note: If you just wish to report the IM as spam, click the Block all IMs from box to place a check mark in it, and then click the OK button.
3. Type your report in the text box on the Notify AOL window.
4. Click the Send Report button.
Report instant message violations with AOL 9.0 Security Edition
1. On the Instant Message window, click the Report IM Spam button.
2. Click the OK button.
Report instant message violations with AOL 9.0 SE or lower
1. On the instant message window, click the Notify AOL button.
2. In the text box, type your report.
3. Click the Send Report button.
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How do I report e-mail violations?
You can send an e-mail to AOL Community Action Team to report violations of AOL Terms of Service.
Report e-mail violations for AOL 8.0 or higher
1. On the AOL toolbar, click the Read icon.
2. Click the e-mail that you want to report to highlight it.
3. Click the Report Spam button.
Report e-mail violations for AOL 7.0
1. On the AOL toolbar, click the Read icon.
2. Click the e-mail that you want to report to highlight it.
3. Click the Notify AOL button.
4. In the text box, type your report.
5. Click the Send Report button.
Report e-mail violations for AOL 6.0
1. On the AOL toolbar, click the Read icon.
2. Double-click the e-mail that you want to report to open it.
3. Click the Forward button.
4. In the Send To: box, type TOSEmail1.
5. Click the Send button.
Report e-mail violations for AOL.com
1. Right-click the e-mail that you want to report, and then click the Report Spam button.
What is spoofing?
Spoofing is a process of faking the sending address of a transmission in order to gain illegal entry into a secure system. Spoofing can create fake responses or signals in order to keep a session active and prevent timeouts. Another type of spoofing is "Web page spoofing," also known as phishing. In this attack, a legitimate Web page such as a bank's site is reproduced in "look and feel" on another server under the control of the attacker. The intent is to fool the users into thinking that they are connected to a trusted site, for instance, to collect user names and passwords.
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