Your Questions Answered – Letters to Marketplace Safety
by Dave Steer
eBay's Senior Manager of Trust & Safety Marketing

Over the past year, I've written about a variety of online safety issues through the Marketplace Safety column. From safe payment in the eBay Marketplace to safe e-commerce practices, these common sense tips represent smart practices and are a vital component of staying safe online.

Last month, with a view to understanding what questions members were still asking, I invited you to send me emails. Judging by the number of emails I received, there are still a lot of questions out there.

The questions and comments that I received from members were wide ranging. Some members wanted to hear more about what we are doing to crack down on fraudulent activity on eBay; others wanted to learn about what they could do to minimize unpaid items. I'll plan to cover these topics in upcoming columns.

This month I'd like to highlight a few of the most common questions I received and provide some tips just in case you run into a similar situation.

Most Popular Question #1: Spoof Emails and Web sites.
I received a ton of emails from members who were suspicious about emails that looked like they were from eBay. These people could tell that something wasn't right with the emails. For instance, some emails seemed a bit too urgent in their tone, or asked for information that was out of the ordinary, such as credit card details. These members wanted to validate their suspicions with me before doing anything risky.

One member wrote: “Dave, I received the following email and wanted to confirm with eBay that it is legitimate, as it is asking for all of my credit card information, including my PIN number. ”

Another member wrote of his concern about frequently receiving spoof email. “I keep getting notices from eBay threatening to suspend my account…”

In fact, all of the emails that members forwarded to me were fakes. They were all "phishing" emails aimed at getting the recipient to respond with sensitive personal information.

Let me emphasize once again that eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive personal information through email. If we request information from you, we will always direct you back to the eBay site. With very few exceptions, you can submit the requested information through your My eBay page.

As a refresher, spoof (also known as fake or “phishing”) emails and Web sites are dangerous scams by fraudsters attempting to commit identity theft. By pretending to send these emails from companies that you know and trust (their emails and Web sites contain spitting images of well-known corporate logos), these fraudsters can get unsuspecting Web users to relay sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers and account passwords.

In short, the bad guys are very good at the bad things they do. My advice:

1. Be very cautious of any email you receive requesting personal information.
   Typically, a spoof email will threaten you with the likelihood of losing your account status unless “you act immediately.”
2. Get eBay Toolbar with Account Guard.
   Account Guard helps you protect your eBay and PayPal account information. The Account Guard indicator turns green when you are on a legitimate eBay or PayPal site, and alerts you when you are on a known fraudulent Web site. It also lets you report such sites to eBay. To download eBay Toolbar with Account Guard, click here.
3. Periodically check your online accounts to see if there is any suspicious activity.
   This applies not only to your eBay and PayPal accounts, but also to all online accounts that you hold. If you see anything out of the ordinary with your eBay account, report it to us.

Most Popular Question #2: Instant Cash Transfer Services and "Off eBay" Transactions.
Some readers forwarded me questionable emails from sellers trying to get them to go "off eBay" and pay for items with an instant cash transfer service through Western Union or MoneyGram.

One forwarded email from a concerned buyer read: “After verifying the trustworthiness of the seller and the availability of the merchandise for immediate shipping, we have approved your Buy It Now transaction and offered you, as the buyer, full purchase protection for the amount you agreed on with the seller. Complete your eBay transaction in 5 easy steps.” To be sure, one of the steps was to wire $699 via Western Union.

In another email, a member was sent a Second Chance Offer email that looked like it was legitimate. This member thought they were completing their transaction on eBay, but as it turned out, the email was fraudulent and the transaction, while appearing to be on eBay, would have been conducted outside of the marketplace. Fortunately the member did not fall for the bait.

All of the emails that were sent to me represented, essentially, fraud in action. My advice: do not pay for your items with instant cash transfer services.

While sellers may offer this option, they cannot require you to pay this way. These services are like sending cash to a stranger – they are usually used to send money to family members, and may not be safe in sending money to someone you do not know. They also offer no buyer protection in the event that something goes wrong with your transaction. If you suspect a seller is trying to commit fraud by insisting on payment through an instant cash wire transfer, please decline to use it, and report the seller to eBay.

Make sure that your transaction is taking place on eBay. eBay continuously monitors our marketplace to ensure a safe trading environment. We have robust programs, such as the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program and PayPal Buyer Protection, designed to protect buyers on eBay. You can verify the authenticity of any eBay transaction and Second Chance Offer by looking for it in My eBay.

On a more encouraging note, I also received many emails from members that indicate a growing awareness among our Community of how to stay safe in the marketplace and in the online world in general. I want to share a refreshing email I received from a member who followed the right steps to report a suspicious email to eBay:

“This is just a note to show my appreciation for all of you in keeping us up-to-date in terms of safety. This morning I received a message from 'PayPal' with a link requesting that I update my account information. Immediately I remembered the many messages and news items I've seen regarding fake messages on eBay, AOL and PayPal. I forwarded the message to spoof@ebay.com and I was amazed at how quickly I got a reply from them confirming it was a fake message.”

From early childhood we're taught to look both ways before crossing the street, until we instinctively and automatically follow these precautions. Similarly, these common sense safety tips should be ingrained into you to ensure that you stay safe online.