Are you an eBay junkie that just
can't seem to get enough of the show-stopping deals? I have a
friend who has bought everything from eBay. I have warned her
about the problem of identity theft on eBay and she was certain
that since it hadn't happened yet, it wouldn't. Well guess what?
I hate to say, " I told you so", but truth of the matter is, is
that her odds of becoming a victim are one in twenty-five, so
it's not too surprising. Just hate that she had to learn first
hand.Below are
fraudulent eBay emails that we must all be conscious of:
1. You get an email from
another eBayer claiming that he's received spam email from you
and that's he's reporting you to eBay. They'll say things like,
"How DARE you send your crappy spam mail to my account? I'm
reporting you to eBay immediately and I hope they suspend your
account!"
2. You receive an email from a
seller with a generic question about an item, but the item in
question is not provided within the email. Or the item they're
asking about is not one that you are selling.
3. You get an email supposedly
from eBay, claiming that they want to "invite" you to become a
Powerseller. (This one usually works. After all, who wouldn't
want to become a Powerseller?)
4. You bid on an item, and
before the auction ends you get an email from someone claiming
to be the seller. They want to end the auction early and state
that they are willing to accept the amount you bid as payment
for the item, and send you information on where to send payment.
5. You receive an email that
looks at though it comes from eBay, with the eBay logo and a
legitimate looking sender address such as support with an "eBay.com"
ending. They will claim that there is a problem with your
account, either with your payment method or "updating" your
files, and they demand that you respond immediately or risk
suspending your account.
Most of these emails are
designed with a "call to action" or sense of urgency behind
them. This is how they tempt you to use the link provided in the
scam email, which in no way shape or form is connected with
eBay. This is their way of getting your sensitive information
that allows them assume your identity or rip you off.
As I've mentioned before, you
should never click on links in an email-always go directly to
the site. In this case, the scammer will have you click on the
provided link in the email. Normally a request for your password
to log into eBay through that link will appear. Now they have
your eBay login. With that, they can place false bids, send
malicious emails to other eBayers, change your personal
information including your eBay password, and possibly obtain
information like your name, address, phone number, credit card
numbers and bank information. With all of this information,
you're like putty in their dirty little hands.
REMEMBER, EBAY WILL NEVER ASK
YOU TO PROVIDE ACCOUNT NUMBERS, PASSWORDS, OR OTHER SENSITIVE
INFORMATION THROUGH EMAIL. Now go out there and steal those
deals of a lifetime without having someone steal your identity!
