What to Do about Spoof (Fake) Email
by Dave
eBay Staff Member

If there is one message to remember from this column, it is this: Be cautious of any email that requests sensitive personal information. While the email may look legitimate, you may not know its true origins.

Today's Internet is plagued by an increase in fraudulent emails. Claiming to be sent by well-known, brand name companies, these emails goad unsuspecting recipients into replying with personal information, such as their credit card number, social security number, or account password. These emails are commonly referred to as Spoof emails — also known as "phishing" or "hoax" emails — because they disguise themselves as a popular Web site or company in an attempt to commit identity theft.

Remember, just because an email appears to originate from a legitimate company, it is no guarantee it actually did. In fact, many of these emails claim to be from Web sites you frequently visit — eBay and PayPal included. Their deception tactics are especially devious: some forge the "from" line of the email; others claim that your account information is out of date, or that your credit card has been expired.

Unfortunately, Spoof emails are not going away any time soon. Their existence is the result of an increasingly networked world and a global communications medium that, by design, is open and accessible (for both good and ill). Fortunately, you can take steps to spot a spoof and thwart attempts to obtain your personal and financial information.

Here are just a few rules to keep your information safe and secure:

1. Learn how to identify a Spoof email. When it comes to online safety, education is the best prevention. You can see these rules by visiting the eBay Security Center.
2. Do not provide sensitive contact, account or financial information in an email. Legitimate companies like eBay do not ask for your ATM PIN, account password, mother's maiden name or your social security number in an email.
3. Periodically check your accounts and change your passwords. This preventative step is one of the best actions to prevent fraudsters from stealing your personal, private information.
4. If you have any doubt about the authenticity of an eBay or PayPal email, simply go to the site without clicking on the link in the email and perform the requested action. For example, an email from eBay Billing seeking listing fee payment will always allow you to pay via your My eBay page.

You can also help eBay's Trust and Safety department take action to protect the Community by reporting Spoof emails. Forwarding eBay and PayPal spoof emails — without altering the header information — to either spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com allows our investigation teams to work with Internet Service Providers, the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement to shut down these fraudulent mailers and prosecute wrongdoers.

eBay continues to take proactive steps to combat fraud and ensure that our Community members have the power to prevent falling for a spoof email. If you are not 100% sure that the email is from eBay, do not respond directly. Instead, forward it to spoof@ebay.com.

When in doubt, simply do not provide your personal information. That's all it takes to keep your personal information safe and secure.

For more information on protecting your account and preventing Spoof emails, please visit the eBay Security Center and the PayPal Security Center.