re:Phished: Hope to find relief
 

Okay, it's five hours since my last post. I just got off the phone with Yahoo customer service (866-562-7219). The first guy I talked to asked me the standard "name, date of birth" runaround, and he also asked me my "secret question." He then told me my account would have to be forwarded on to account security for them to do an investigation, because I had not answered something correctly, and that this process could take 3-5 business days. I shared with him my worries that my personal information could be compromised, and that the clock was ticking, in effect - the longer these losers have my info, the more likely it is they can cull something of use out of the (literally) thousands of e-mail messages I have stored. I asked if I could speak with a supervisor, and he did transfer me over immediately.

The supervisor did the exact same series of questions, and informed me again that I had not provided the correct information. I again (politely - don't want to make tech folks angry, or you'll never get *anywhere*) informed him of my serious concerns, and offered to give whatever additional information I could to verify it was me - I told him I'd had this Yahoo account since November of 1997, told him my password (and probably security info like my birthdate) had been reset sometime in the past 24 hours, rattled off a series of alternate e-mails I've had over the past nine years, and told him the url of the phishing site (one of their own! a geocities site that is hopefully down by now). Somewhere in there I might have pressed the magic button, because he told me that I had been able to give him some piece of information that was independently verifiable, although he wouldn't tell me what it was. (Understandable on their part - after all, *I* might be the phisher, for all he knows).

Anyway, he asked me for an alternate e-mail that they could send a new password to once they get it all straightened out. He warned me that whoever stole my account (it appeared he was believing me now) probably had much of my information from my account stored, and that it would be a good idea to set up a new account (bleh! I got in on the ground floor with Yahoo e-mail, and was able to get my own name - fat chance of anything close to that now).

At any rate, that's where it stands. Hopefully, in a day or two, I'll be able to post again and say that I got my account back. Keep your fingers crossed, folks.

This is amazing........yesterday I also received an instant message from a Yahoo ID that I recognized about checking our their new pics. It was also a geocities.com/"whatever" URL, but it only took me to a login page for Yahoo pics. So of course, stupid me logged in which did nothing. Later in the afternoon I noticed my login info wasn't working and even the "reset password" option was not working. Obviously my account info has been changed. I have received 2 auto generated emails from Yahoo now, which I have replied to asking them to please just send me a generic password so I may have access to my account again. That was yesterday and I still have not heard anything. I am now on hold with customer service which I was only able to do after finding this forum.....so big thanks to you that posted the phone number because I had no luck whatsoever finding it. I have a 20 minute hold time....LMAO, so I'll post back my results......cross your fingers for me.......LOL

So much for that....after waiting on hold for 15 minutes and then explaining the whole situation in exact detail, the rep was unable to help me because my info didn't match my account info...............wow, nice one Einstein!! I even told him it wouldn't match when he asked for it, because obvioulsy someone changed it or I would already have a new password!! So.......now I have to wait for "second level", to either contact me via my alternate email or call me with whatever info or resolution they can. Oh......and they can't even give you a rough idea of how long this process will take, only that they will contact me as soon as possible.

GOOD LUCK with that one
 

Nobdy ever contacts you--I am still waiting and waiting--I have had no e-mail for 3 weeks--and like everyone else has said--the hacker has already seen everything and used what he wanted to use and so I guess that I have given up on trying to get it--I went to hotmail --one of the sad things is that all my pics of my grandkid and old friends that I do not know their e-mail adddress was in there-I guess I will just have to resort to the old fashion way and write a note through the good ol' mail service --I will NEVER use yahoo again--and their way of doing business is not what America was founded on--but then again--what is????

This happened to me on Sunday at which time I immediately started the "account-security" emailings. It's now Tuesday and I'm still waiting for Yahoo to figure out how they're going to manage the apparently impossible task of sending me a new password. Customer service is a joke.........all they do is apologize for the inconvenience and explain that the matter has been forwarded to the security dept. for investigation. In the meantime..........while we sit around waiting for them to decide when they are going to send us a new password, all our email info is probably being stolen and wiped out. Each rep I've spoken to even said that they weren't familiar with the "geocities.com/" hack, lmao..........pretty hilarious considering how many Yahoo customers I've seen just on this forum alone that have dealt with the exact same problem over the past few months.

Success!!!!!!
 

Okay, folks, here's how it wrapped up for me:

I got phished through the (now old news) Geocities hack Saturday morning. I didn't notice until late afternoon, but didn't realized I'd been hijacked until around midnight. I called the Yahoo service number (go back a page or two on this list - it's an 800 or 888 number, toll-free in the US) and found out they do business starting at 6 AM Pacific time.

6 AM I was on the phone. I got right through (probably because it was a Sunday morning - less traffic than a business day). The tech's name was R.J., and he ran me through the standard rigamarole that several of you have mentioned - actual name, date of birth, alternate e-mail address, etc. He told me what the reps told many of you, that my info didn't match. He would send it on to the famed "second level" of security for those folks to deal with, and I should know something in 3-5 business days. :eek:

Here's where I might hold the magic key with these folks. Knowing a lot of techies (and kind of being one myself, I guess) I know they pretty much hold all the cards in a situation like this. So, my advice to you is this: despite how freaked out you may be, do NOT yell or get angry at the Tech. He's probably in New Delhi or Karachi and doesn't really give a rip about you or your only digital photos of Aunt Edna, but he is willing to do his job to the best of his ability, provided you don't tick him off.

So, to that end, I very politely asked if I could speak with his supervisor. He told me his supervisor would only give me the same information, but I (again politely) insisted I speak with him. I then got John, R.J.'s supervisor, who again did the whole "name, date of birth" yadda yadda with me. When I reached the same dead-end with him, I began offering information - every e-mail address I'd used since 1997 (since signing up with Yahoo). Something must have clicked, because he then told me I'd given him some information that did indeed match up - he couldn't tell me what information, only that some information did match up.

I asked if I could speak to someone at the "second level," but he told me they had no phone service there (where are they, the island from "Lost" or something? :) ) Anyway, he then began to talk to me like I really was who I was saying I was, telling me that it would be a good idea "once I got back into my account" (so glad to hear that little phrase) to set up a new account.

The e-mail that was sent to my alternate address came in less than 24 hours after my 6 AM phone call. They even called back the following day (my wife got the call) to check on it, and to make sure I was back in my account.

I can't speak to the problems that some of you have been having. My advice would be to be as kind and gentle as you can with these guys, because it did seem to work for me. Besides, it's not really their fault we got phished - in my case, I've been online (on the WWW) since 1996, and have been logging on with a computer to bulletin board systems (BBS's) since 1982 with my Commodore Vic-20. So, if anyone should know, it should be me, and I still got hooked. Good luck, everyone... there IS hope!!!!!! :D

Well, I have to disagree to an extent on "not Yahoo's fault". Not sure about the rest of you, but the geocities URL directed me to the Yahoo Photo's page, which of course prompted me to login. To me, seems like Yahoo themselves got hacked in a way. My problem began on Sunday afternoon and my password was reset on Tuesday afternoon. I did have probably 5 "heated" phone conversations with Yahoo reps, and one supervisor only because of their ridiculous policy. Every single rep I spoke to sounded like a freaking robot......lol. I also repeatedly sent reply emails back to "account-security". Anyways.........I am in the process of giving a new email address to all of my contacts. My Yahoo days are done.

I too am done!
 

I agree--if yahoo does not have another way of telling them who you are other than zip code-etc-then they are sooooooooooooo not up to date with technology--I could prove over and over than I was the holder of my account --but because my zip code did not match--I STILL do not have access to my account--and I tried the "nice thing"--no matter how mad I really was inside--I remained cool-and nice--but to no avail--I AM DONE WITH YAHOO --- FOREVER!!!!!!!

o god.... am not the only one!!
 

I was logged on to my yahoo account...well on messenger...
and all of sudden it said signed in at a
diffenrt location.... i tried to sign
back in but it woudlnt let me....
i kinda remember the info i put in my profile/
account info like DOB and zip code...but i think the hacker has changed them....so i cant change my
password either. I use my yahoo inbox
for university and work. I really need
it. I have the feeling that someone
changed my password... evne though i had
never told anyone!!!
has it been hacked??! and if so... couldnt the hacker have changed the info on my account? then am I really messed up???? eh?

can like call that 1866 number mentioned above and verify some of my latest e-mails in my inbox? after all they need info... please help me out guys :(



what should i do.???????

PLease help. I really need ur help here!

Yours respectfully,

abba

Add one more to the list
 

Glad to know im not the only one this has happened to. My problem is that since i can't log in, I also can't get to the bill pay account that i had. I just received a call from Ford Credit wondering where my truck payment was. I had already made the payment, but it apparently hasn't gotten to them. Naturally Im quite worried at this point.

If I ever get my hands on the person that screwed up my account. Well I probably can't post what will happen to them on this forum.