Someone has managed to steal my sisters Yahoo email account password and has changed it. The secret question and other information has also been changed due to which we cannot recover or reset her password. Writing in to Yahoo didnt help much because all I got was an automated reply without much useful information.
So any dopers been through this or have tips on how to recover the password, or is the account a total write off?
Thanks in advance.
Its been my experience that it’s a loss. Yahoo doesn’t care much about the free accounts.
As for the paid accounts, I can’t say if they would help.
I’ve been trying to contact Yahoo! for about three weeks now regarding a problem with an account. (The problem being that they deleted it.) I haven’t yet found any way of contacting them other than a generic form, and the ONLY response I’ve received was a link to a survey asking if they’d done a good job resolving the problem.
Good luck! And please let us know if you do manage to get a response from them.
You (and StephenG) could TRY writing to mail@yahoo-inc.com . No guarantees, as I fished that up from a return email that was more than a year old. I would choose my subject very carefully, I think (not just “help”). 
You could also try (in your own account, or in a new account created by your sister) going through the Yahoo “Help” :dubious: :rolleyes: maze (take a tranquilizer or some hot chocolate (or other chocolate) first?) and searching for “lost pw” and other variants, to see if you come upon a screen which has an actual link to let you send a message. If so, do so, of course. And if you get a response, let us all know what the return address is on it? 
<“mom” mode>
And, of course, she, you, and everybody you know will set up new secure, alpha-numeric, non-obvious pws, and will change them regularly, right? I suggest doing it at least monthly, and not using obvious 5ub5t1tut10n5 in the pw, right? If you do that, depending on what kind of hackware someone is using, they might still be able to figure it out. It’s better to stick numbers in front, into, and behind, but if I’m remembering the limit on the number of characters correctly, they’re chintzy, so that means you have to choose carefully, or - better yet - alternate! If you set up on your calendar to do it on a given day of the month (first or last is usually easiest to remember) or a specific day each week, and each time, as you get ready to change the pw, think about all the hassle, frustration, and anger you’ve experienced, it will become an ingrained habit. Naturally, you will never, ever write them down anywhere. And you won’t change the pw at a time when anyone else is in the room with you. 
If your memory has leaks in it, you can write it down and put it in some safe, non-obvious place in your bedroom (in case others, especially non-family, have access to it), and never, ever take it with you anywhere. But it’s better if you can remember it. Try word association, and any other memory tricks you’ve heard of.
</“mom” mode>
I hate to say so, but it sounds to me as though she was ripped off by someone she knows, unless she’s in the habit of logging in in public places and modifying her profile there. Some parts of the profile are not displayed, and ya gotta know the info in order to get to them.
Good luck!
Believe it or not, you can call them on the phone
Were you planning on providing the number, or does maleinblack have to read your mind? 
Thanks a lot for all your helpful answers. Although I realise its a uphill task to get someone at Yahoo to actually answer my mail and get something done about the password, I will surely try to contact them using the email address provided by tygerbryght.
Well tygerbryght thanks for the good advice and I will make sure that my sister get your tips. ouryL it will be really helpful if I could get a contact number.
Thanks for all your tips, will keep you posted as regards the latest developments.