Yahoo recycled ID users warn of security risk Users of Yahoo's recycled ID names say they are receiving the former owner's sensitive information through their new accounts.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Yahoo users who got recycled account IDs said they've found a security risk -- they are receiving emails containing the personal information of former account owners, InformationWeek.com reported Tuesday.
The users told the news site that initially, they were receiving junk mail for the Yahoo ID's previous owner, but then other mail with sensitive information started showing up. This included account information, confirmation for appointments and flights, and event announcements. It appears the old owners must still be giving out the email address without knowing they no longer have access to the account.
One user, an IT security professional named Tom Jenkins, described the potential for identity theft as, "kind of crazy":

I can gain access to their Pandora account, but I won't. I can gain access to their Facebook account, but I won't. I know their name, address, and phone number. I know where their child goes to school, I know the last four digits of their social security number. I know they had an eye doctor's appointment last week and I was just invited to their friend's wedding.

We've contacted Yahoo for a comment and will update if we hear back.
Yahoo told InformationWeek that it takes the "security and privacy of our users very seriously," and has received complaints from "a very small number of users who have received emails through other third parties which were intended for the previous account holder." It continues to ask other companies, the ones sending the emails, to verify accounts by adding a date-specific marker.
Yahoo began releasing recycled IDs in late August, after giving users a month to log in to their accounts and stake their claim. Yahoo shut down any accounts that hadn't been logged in for more than a year, and then put the usernames up for grabs.
SOURCE: CNET