Aol Account Hacked

Aol Account Hacked

1. Go to password.aol.com immediately and change your password. Use a mix of upper & lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters in your new password. Make it impossible for others to guess. A great trick for strong passwords is using the initial letter of each word in a phrase that you remember easily. Substitute numbers & symbols where you can. To be or not to be = TBoN2B, for example. If the password that was hacked is one you use on other sites and services, change those passwords immediately as well.
2. Sign into myaccount.aol.com, and under "Username Options" click Change Account Security Question. Select a new question, and enter the new answer.
The answer to your Account Security Question can contain numbers (no special characters). Mix in numbers to strengthen your protection. Record this answer in a safe place so you can retrieve it later if needed.
If you're unable to change your password, in the U.S., call 1-800-797-0244 for further instructions.

If you think your account has been compromised, you should:

• Visit password.aol.com and change your password immediately. Please see Creating secure passwords for our most up-to-date recommendations for making the a strong password.
  IMPORTANT: New passwords should be at least six characters long and include at least one number, letter (combination of upper and lower cases) and special character ($, *, &, !, etc.). Make sure your new password is different from any other passwords you have used. Also, if you used the same password for other online accounts such as social media and financial services, change those passwords as well. We strongly advise you use different passwords for different social media accounts.
• Make sure you have antivirus software installed and updated. Run scans frequently to make sure your computer is free of all malware. (If you have not installed any antivirus software, visit AOL Internet Security Central to find the latest McAfee software provided by AOL).
• Change your Account Security Question by following the steps in our help article Change or Reset my ASQ.
• Review any Away Messages tied to your account to ensure no one has inserted spam or other inappropriate content. Please see Set up an away message in AOL Mail for more information.
• Check your Display Name (the name people see when you send them mail) to make sure it doesn't contain the letters "AOL", "A.O.L." or "Aol". Spammers sometimes change an account's Display Name and that can cause you to see an error message when trying to send mail.
• Review any signatures you use for AOL Mail, message board posts, or comments. Again, this is to ensure no one added spam or other inappropriate content. Please see How do I create or modify email signature in AOL Mail for additional information.

If you can't sign on with your current password…

If your AOL account appears to be tied to suspicious activity, we'll place a temporary hold on the account. If this happens, you'll be able to access your account again by changing your password. If you're not sure how to do so, please see How do I change my password?

To help keep your account safe, we recommend that you:

• Please visit AOL's Account Security site at security.mail.aol.com for some great tips on keeping your account secure and identifying warning signs.
• Protect your account with comprehensive online security. You can download software to help protect your computer from viruses, spyware, hackers and even identity theft. For more information regarding safety and security for your PC, please visit AOL Internet Security Central.
• Keep tabs on your account. Periodically check all AOL Usernames on your account by going to myaccount.aol.com. If you see a Username you don't recognize, select it and click Delete. If you're missing a Username that you formerly had under your account, you can restore it by clicking Restore a Recently Deleted Username from the main Usernames menu. Check each Username's profile to make sure it hasn't been changed.
• Recognize AOL Certified emails. Any email you receive from AOL will be labeled as “Certified,” which means it's marked with a unique blue-ribbon envelope icon. This icon is visible from your inbox view before you open the email to help you identify authentic AOL messages.