I reported the spoof and got 2 e-mails within 3 minutes.
Here is the first.
Hello,
Thank you for contacting eBay's Trust and Safety Department about email solicitations that are falsely made to appear to have come from eBay.
These emails, commonly referred to as "spoof" messages, are sent in an attempt to collect sensitive personal information from recipients who reply to the message or click on a link to a Web page requesting this information.
The email you reported did not originate from, nor is it endorsed by, eBay. We are very concerned about this problem and are working diligently to address the situation. We are currently investigating the source of this email to take further action. You may rest assured that your account standing has not changed and that your listings have not been affected.
We advise you to be very cautious of email messages that ask you to submit information such as your credit card number or your email password. eBay will never ask you for sensitive personal information such as passwords, bank account or credit card numbers, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), or Social Security numbers in an email itself. If you ever need to provide information to eBay please open a new Web browser, type
www.ebay.com, and click on the "site map" link located at the top the page to access the eBay page you need.
If you have any doubt about whether an email message is from eBay, please forward it immediately to
[email protected] and do not respond to it or click on any of the links in the email message. Please do not change the subject line or forward the email as an attachment.
If you entered personal information such as your password, social security number or credit card numbers into a Website based on a request from a spoofed email, you need to take immediate action to protect your identity. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself.
To get to the "Protecting Your Identity" Help page from the eBay site, please click on the "help" link located at the top of most eBay pages and select the following topics when the "eBay Help Center" window
appears:
Safe Trading > If Something Goes Wrong > Identity Theft
We encourage you to review additional information about protecting your identity found in the eBay Help system. Please click on the "help" link located at the top of most eBay pages and select the following topics when the "eBay Help Center" window appears:
Safe Trading > If Something Goes Wrong& > Account Theft > Account Protection
Once again, thank you for alerting us to the spoof email you received.
Your vigilance helps us ensure that eBay remains a safe and vibrant online marketplace.
Regards,
Ian
eBay SafeHarbor
Investigations Team
And the 2nd one.
Thank you for contacting eBay's Trust & Safety Department about an email you received from an address that includes "@ebay.com" but may not be an authentic email from eBay. We will investigate this situation immediately.
There have been cases where people have attempted to gain access to an eBay member's personal information by sending "spoof" emails. Spoof emails intentionally give the false impression that they have been sent by eBay to solicit people to provide their account information.
Based on your inquiry to eBay's Trust and Safety Department, the email you received was likely a spoof. eBay is very concerned about spoof email and is taking prompt action to address the issue. If you think you may have entered personal information into a spoof site, you should review the Web page listed below:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html
This eBay Help page contains detailed information about the following
steps:
1. Change your eBay password and email account password
Periodically changing your password is one of the most effective ways to maintain security on any Web site. If you think there is a possibility of a breach in your account security, we strongly suggest that you change your password immediately.
2. Forward the email to
[email protected]
If you haven't already done so, please forward a copy of the email, (which includes the full header), to
[email protected]. Forwarding the email will help us investigate the matter more quickly. Please do not forward the email as an attachment or alter the subject line in any way.
For more information on how to identify a header, please visit:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/information.html
3. Protect your identity
If you entered information such as your social security number or credit card numbers into a Web site that you were directed to visit via a spoofed email, you need to take immediate action to protect your identity. The following Web sites have valuable information on the steps you should take to protect yourself:
eBay Help:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html
U.S. Government ID Theft Site:
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/victim.htm
BBB ID Theft Site:
http://www.newyork.bbb.org/identitytheft/newscams.html
4. Secure your computer
Be sure to keep your operating system, Web browser, and virus detection software up to date. Microsoft has issued a security update for Internet Explorer software to mitigate the possibility of a malicious person creating a link to a deceptive (spoofed) Web site that displays the address, or URL, of a legitimate Web site in the Status bar, Address bar or Title bar.
If you use Internet Explorer, we strongly encourage you to go to
www.microsoft.com, click on Windows Update, and follow the prompts. In addition, periodically update your anti-virus software and scan your computer for viruses.
To help our members better protect themselves from spoof Web sites, we have developed a new feature for the eBay Toolbar called Account Guard. Account Guard includes an indicator of when you are on an eBay or PayPal Web site, buttons to report fake eBay Web sites, and a password notification feature that warns you when you may be entering your eBay password into an unverified site. To learn more about the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard, open a new browser and type
www.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar into the address bar. Note that eBay will never send you an email that includes a download as an attachment or a link that goes to a page with a download.
We will contact you once our investigation is complete or if we need more information. In order to dedicate resources to investigating this type of situation, please submit any other questions or concerns through our Help System, which can be accessed by clicking on the Help button at the top of any eBay page.
*Please do not respond to this email, as your reply will not be received. If you need to contact us again, please use the eBay Help system.
We appreciate your efforts to keep eBay a safe marketplace.
Regards,
eBay Trust & Safety Team
