Did Yahoo! actually send me a message telling me to reset my password?

[B.C.]

Got a message today stating "On July 26, 2013, at 03:46 pm CDT, you tried to recover your account password... etc".

I apparently have no way to contact Yahoo! and verify that they actually sent it. (Their 'contact' page is anything but.) Anyone have their email?

[Arthur Dent]

The email you're referring to is a notification that someone tried to reset your password and gain access to your account. The email should contain instructions on what to do if you didn't make this password reset request.

Here's how to tell if this is a genuine Yahoo email.

Why do I see a purple Y! next to certain messages in my inbox? - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...OD_MAIL_ML

The link above shows how to contact Yahoo Customer Care by using the Contact Customer Care link, by Twitter or Facebook. You can also contact them by phone - toll-free 1-800-318-0612 or 1-866-562-7219.

Here's some information on hacked account and how to secure hacked accounts.

How to tell if your account was hacked - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...sions=true

If you think your account was hacked, the first thing to do is to immediately change your password - https://edit.yahoo.com/forgotroot/

If you're unable to change your password, open the first link and click the "Contact Customer Care" link under the Quick Links section to the right of your screen. This should open the "How can we help you?" form.

"Select your Product" select "Yahoo! Account"
"Select your category" select "Hacked Accounts"
"Select your sub-category" select "unable to verify my secret question"
"Briefly tell us how we can help" enter 'secret question was changed"
Scroll down until you see an envelope that says "Email a Support Agent".
Click on the envelope and fill out the form.
You can also select "Talk to our support team by phone"

If you use your Yahoo password at other sites you will need to change the password for those sites as well. I recommend using a password manager like Keepass or LastPass to create strong unique passwords for the sites you visit. You can also save notes like your secret questions and answers to the password entries. LastPass can automatically log you in to any web site you have stored in its database.

Here's how to check your account activity - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...OD_MAIL_ML

Explanation of Login Activity - What Access Types and Events are - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...OD_MAIL_ML

To learn more about protecting yourself online - http://security.yahoo.com/

Make sure your antivirus is up-to-date and run a full virus scan on a regular basis.

Safeguarding your Yahoo! Account - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...OD_MAIL_ML

Activate Second sign-in verification
Sign in to Yahoo! Mail.
Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the window.
Click Account Info
You will be required to enter your password for security purposes.
Go to the Sign-In and Security section.
You should set up your second sign-in verification immediately.

While you are in Account Info you can check if any other applications have been linked to your Yahoo account. Delete any that you didn't activate.

How do I manage external application and website connections? - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...=PROD_ACCT

What to check when securing an account that has recently been compromised - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...sions=true

Here's a link on restoring your emails, contacts, and other settings - http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont...sions=true