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- What is the issue?
- What can you do to protect yourself?
- What do you do if this happens to you?
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| Spoof or "phishing" emails and websites are becoming an increasing
problem for unsuspecting internet users. Spoof emails claim to be sent
by eBay or PayPal (or other trusted organisations), and can look
identical to email usually from these organisations. More often than
not links within the emails direct users to fake websites asking for
personal information such as credit card number, username or account
password in an attempt to commit identity theft or other crimes. |
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The
good news is that you can avoid falling victim to spoof emails and
websites, and protect yourself online by taking a few simple
precautions
Beware
of emails asking you to update your personal information within the
email or via a website. eBay & PayPal will never ask you for your
account or credit card details, username or password in any
communications. If you are in any doubt, always open a new browser and
type in www.ebay.co.uk
or www.paypal.co.uk
or www.ebay.ie or www.paypal.com
to ensure you are on the genuine websites.
Please note the Account Guard feature of the eBay Toolbar is no longer available.
If you are in any doubt that an email you have received or a website you have visited is fraudulent, report it immediately to spoof@ebay.co.uk
orspoof@paypal.co.uk
and forward the entire email. If you are registered on eBay.ie you should report the email to spoof@ebay.ie or spoof@paypal.com. We will reply promptly letting you know whether or not the email or website is fake or genuine. If you are in any doubt at all, always check - it is worth taking the time to be sure.
Every
time you save an email attachment or download a file from the internet,
you are risking exposure to potentially harmful viruses and online
hackers. Computers that have no firewall or anti-virus software are
unprotected and vulnerable to these types of attacks. To prevent this
from happening we recommend that you install a firewall and regularly
update your anti-virus software.
Whilst
spoof and phishing scams are getting more sophisticated, there are a
few indications that an email you have received or a website you have
visited is spoof. Take our Spoof Tutorial
for more details on how to spot emails & websites, and remember,
use your common sense. If you wouldn't take the risk in the offline
world, then don't do it online. |
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- If you are in any doubt that an email you have received or a website you have visited is fraudulent, report it immediately to spoof@ebay.co.uk or spoof@paypal.co.uk. If you are registered on eBay.ie you should report the email to spoof@ebay.ie or spoof@paypal.com.
- If you have responded to a spoof email or submitted your details to a website you now suspect to be fraudulent, report it immediately to eBay.
- If your password seems to have been changed and/or there are items for sale under your username that you didn't list contact eBay immediately.
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