How to Prevent Having Your
Password Stolen
by Laura Mather
Director, Global Fraud Policy and Prevention

The Internet is an amazing place, where people can do just about anything. Unfortunately, that also means that they can try to use it to steal your identity or personal accounts. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself from becoming a victim of this type of fraud.

As you probably know, many occurrences of account theft are due to "phishing" (also known as “spoof”) emails. These emails look like they are sent from eBay or PayPal (or some other company) and request your account or personal information. There are a few things that you can do to prevent being victimized by these emails, with two being the most important.

First, any time you receive an email that looks like it is from eBay or PayPal and asks for your account or personal information, forward the email to spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com immediately. We have a system that responds to your email within minutes to tell you whether or not it's actually from us. (You may need to check your spam folder in case your email provider delivers the resulting email to that folder.)

Alerting us to these emails and phishing sites helps us warn other Community members about them. In addition, we have a team of people who work around the clock to get the phishing sites taken down, so the sooner we are aware of them, the sooner we can contact the Internet Service Provider about getting them removed.

The second way to protect yourself from phishing emails sites is to download eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. The Account Guard feature of eBay Toolbar will alert you when you try to go to a phishing site that we already know about. In addition, you can enable the password protection function which will warn you if you enter your eBay or PayPal password on a site that is not eBay or PayPal.

Some people are concerned that eBay Toolbar is 'spyware.' To be clear: eBay Toolbar is not 'spyware.' 'Spyware' is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage. eBay Toolbar is only downloaded with your consent and does not collect any personal information. The only time eBay Toolbar sends information to eBay about your off-eBay Internet use is when you explicitly report potential spoof Web sites to us. We encourage all eBay Toolbar users to review the specific ways eBay uses and protects your personal information by reading the eBay Privacy Statement.

In addition to being careful about phishing emails, there are a couple of general Internet safety tips that can prevent someone from stealing your identity.

• Tip #1 – First, it's important that you have a unique, secure password for all of your online accounts. All passwords should be a combination of letters, numbers and punctuation and should not be easily guessable from your personal information. Although it can be inconvenient to remember many passwords, it helps protect you, because your other accounts are still even safe if one password is stolen.
• Tip #2 – Another important Internet safety practice is to keep your browser and operating system software up to date. The browser companies all have websites that will allow you to check for the latest version of their software. It's a good idea to check for updates every couple of weeks. If your operating system can automatically check for updates, we strongly encourage you to enable this feature.
• Tip #3 – It is crucial to frequently scan for viruses and spyware with up-to-date virus and spyware software. Just by browsing the web it's possible to pick up some undesirable stuff. By maintaining current versions of virus and spyware protection you can be sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.
• Tip #4 – Finally, if you believe your password has been stolen, check all of your computers for viruses and then sign on to eBay and change your password. Once your password has been changed, check your account for any strange behavior (listings or bids that you had nothing to do with). Should you find any activity by a third party, contact eBay through the Live Help link on the Report Account Theft page.

We have also partnered with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help educate our members on maintaining their account security. Should you believe that your identity has been stolen (credit card, bank account, or other personal information), the FTC recommends taking the following steps:

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and then review them.
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more credit in your name. You only need to contact one company, as federal law requires that the one you contact must also alert the other credit bureaus.

Once you've placed your alert, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit file from each credit bureau. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Verify that information, like your SSN, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. Continue to check your credit reports periodically to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company involved. Follow up in writing, and include copies (not originals) of supporting documents. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so that you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of all of your correspondence and enclosures.

Once you have resolved your ID theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed account and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.

3. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the ID theft took place.
Be sure to get a copy of the police report, or at the very least, the number of the report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime. If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a “Miscellaneous Incidents” report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police.

4. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
By sharing your ID theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down and stop ID thieves. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action.

You can file your complaint online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. If you don't have Internet access:

• call the FTC's ID Theft Hotline, toll-free at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261
• or write: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

By being cautious of spoof emails and protecting your personal information you can prevent most instances of having your password or identity stolen. Thank you for your help in maintaining a safe, fun trading environment!