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Tutorial - Spoof (fake) Emails
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Protecting your Account

The information in this tutorial applies not only to eBay, but to all other sites with which you do business. These protection practices can be applied to your bank account, your ISP account and virtually any other online account you hold.


Here are some tips on how to protect your account and what to do if you think you may have responded to a spoof email:

 

Download eBay Toolbar with Account Guard

Account Guard indicates when you are on an eBay or PayPal site and alerts you when you are on a potential fraudulent site. Learn more.

Verify eBay emails in My Messages

If you get an email that looks like it's from eBay about a problem with your account or requests personal information and it's not in My Messages, it's a fake email. Learn more. (Note: My Messages only applies to eBay emails).

Scan for Viruses

Frequently scan your computer for viruses and make sure your virus software, operating system, and browser patches are up to date.

Vigilance Is the Best Line of Defense

You should periodically check your account status to see if there is any suspicious activity.

Change Your Password Frequently

If you think your account security may have been breached, change your account password immediately. Learn How to change your password.

Make Your Password Unique

To prevent someone accessing multiple accounts, it is effective to have different passwords for each account. Also, a good password will include a combination of letters and numbers - this makes it more difficult for people to guess the password.

Contact Your Bank and Credit Card Company

If you think you entered your personal financial information into a spoof site, contact your bank and credit card company immediately.

Reporting Account Theft

Reporting Spoof Emails and Web Sites

By reporting spoof emails and Web sites to eBay, you help us protect the rest of the community by warning members and working with the ISPs to get the sites disabled. There are several easy methods to report spoof emails and Web sites.

  • Forward eBay spoof emails to spoof@ebay.com.sg and then delete it.
  • Use the Account Guard feature of eBay Toolbar to report a suspicious Web site.

More Information

Did you know...

Vigilance is the best line of defense - Periodically check your account and change your password.