Enter User Name:__________Enter Password: ___________
Fraud is every where! Ebay is no exception. The 'Times Online' is reporting numerous eBay-account hijackings. Once the thief absconds the account, further fraud typically follows. Ebay is so popular with Brits, that there are 20 million British eBay registrants (one third of the population) and crooks. Many of the British accounts have been stolen. Thiefs use the account to sell an item that is never delivered. The crooks then disappear with the proceeds.
Con artists steal the account to get around the ratings system used by purchasers to determine whether a given seller is credible. With a stolen identity, auctions may appear to be hosted by a reputable seller who has completed many successful transactions. However, in in reality, the original owner of the account has no idea about the auction. Apparently, one account stealer had apparently converted over 30 accounts. He was using them to sell cars and other expensive items. (That low mileage 57 Corvette looked like a steal for $10,000. It was!)
How are eBay users' accounts stolen? One method is to use password-snagging e-mail scams, also known as "phishing." (You know folks, your ebay account will become inactive if you don't use the enclosed link and sign in.) Really obvious passwords such as the user's name etc can also lead to scammers gaining access into people's accounts.
EBay offers little protection for buyers or sellers. "Winners" of auctions may find out they are big losers. Original account owners struggle clear their names. While the problem may be worse in the U.K., it needs to be watched out for ever where.
So what can you do? Choose a strong password. Report and then delete any phishing scams, where official looking e-mails request your username and password on an unauthorized site. Forward any suspicious email to SPOOF@EBAY.COM OR SPOOF@PAYPAL.COM.
If you become a target of a scam, make it clear to the police, Prosecutor and/or the Attorney General that you will fully cooperate in the prosecution of anyone attempting to steal your account. Let's put a few of these folks behind bars and see how their computer skills translate to using a manual type writer.
Posts
14 comments:
Great advice. I get these emails all the time. I will forward them on to Spoof!
Shell
Those who steal accounts and identities need to be thrown in jail for a minimum of 20 years. That is about the time it takes to get over identity theft from the victims standpoint.
A Victim
These fishing scams are so dangerous because I can not distinguish legitimate email from non legit!
Jimmie
"Phishing," Jimmie, but I get your drift.
Sally P.
not good PR for eBay... too bad there's always people willing to do these things...'cause it ruins it for everyone else.
What Ms. P. said!
Pete
I hardly ever use my ebay account. I would probably fall for this scam.
Penny
I guess this is the US version of the Nigerian email scams. Sad, because eBay and Paypal are really nice businesses, when they aren't abused by thieves.
I use Ebay and Amazon regularly, and often get phishing emails.
If you get an email from either - DON'T respond. Copy the header, then close the email. Open Ebay from your computer - NOT the link from their email. Send them the header from the fake email.
I've done this a dozen times. Would love to find out that they were able to trace the header and prosecute the scum who run the scams.
Good Advice Colleency!
Internet police
This is a great story that should have been picked up by more news agencies. Great job, Legal Pub
Great advice Legal Pub. Fraud on Ebay must be treated like any other crime.
Stop Crime
This is one of the easiest to understand article on this subject. Watch your accounts, folks.
Ralph
I love Ebay, but it needs to be safe.
Post a Comment