Christine works with eBay Policy Managers to implement policies across our sites worldwide. She is also responsible for ensuring that eBay's Trust and Safety features and programs are effectively communicated to the eBay Community and employees.

Recently, a friend, who's also an eBay member, was a non-winning bidder on an auction for a digital camera. She was disappointed at not winning the item, because she really wanted it, but was even more surprised when a few days later, she received an email claiming to be a Second Chance Offer for the camera at a really good price. The email also asked her to pay the “seller” directly, instead of completing the transaction on the eBay site.

While my friend was tempted, she was also suspicious. She noticed that the User ID for the seller making the "offer" wasn't the same as that of the seller on the original listing. She also didn't like the fact that the seller was encouraging her to complete the transaction off the eBay site. Realizing that the email was a fake Second Chance Offer, my friend didn't respond and promptly forwarded it to spam@ebay.com.

Fake Second Chance Offers are yet another tactic scammers are using to defraud eBay members. In this month's column I want to explain how you can stay safe from these fake Second Chance Offers and report them to eBay.

What is a Second Chance Offer?
First, let's understand what a real Second Chance Offer is. It's a feature that was requested by our Community a couple of years ago, that allows sellers to offer an item to a non-winning bidder under certain conditions. A genuine Second Chance Offer can be made only in the following situations:

• The winning bidder in an auction fails to buy the item.
• A reserve price auction ends without the reserve price being met and the seller chooses to offer the item to a non-winning bidder.
• The seller has a duplicate item for sale but hasn't chosen to run a Multiple Item Auction.

When a seller makes a Second Chance Offer to a non-winning bidder, a new Buy it Now listing is created and eBay sends an email to the non-winning bidder on behalf of the seller. The offer is displayed in My Messages with a blue background. The bidder/buyer then has the option to purchase the item.

The Second Chance Offer feature is an important part of the eBay marketplace, widely used by many sellers in the situations outlined above. However, recently scammers have taken to using the feature and the term “Second Chance Offer” to mislead and defraud buyers.

How do you know if a Second Chance Offer is legitimate?
Genuine Second Chance Offers will appear in your My Messages inbox with a blue background (which indicates the message is coming from eBay) and a subject line that says “Second Chance Offer for Item …”

If you receive a Second Chance Offer email on an item you recently bid on, be sure to check My Messages for a message from eBay with a blue background to confirm the offer. Remember, if it's not in My Messages, or if it has a different subject line, it's not a legitimate Second Chance Offer. If you're interested in the Second Chance Offer, be sure to complete the transaction on eBay, including corresponding with the seller via My Messages. This way, if something goes wrong, you'll be covered under various eBay protection programs. A genuine Second Chance Offer can be made immediately after the listing ends and for up to 60 days. Only auctions in 1, 3, 5, or 7 day durations qualify for a Second Chance Offer.

Warning signs that signal a fake Second Chance Offer
Here are some signs about fake Second Chance Offers that should start alarm bells ringing in your mind:

• The “Second Chance Offer” is coming from someone other than the original seller. Be sure to check the seller's User ID on the original item page.
• The “Second Chance Offer” does not appear in My Messages.
• The “Second Chance Offer” appears in My Messages but does not have a blue background, was not sent from eBay and has a different subject line such as, “Message from eBay Member.” (That subject line indicates that the "Second Chance Offer" is coming from another eBay member via the Contact eBay Member feature, and not from eBay. Most of the fraudulent Second Chance Offers that we detect come through the Contact eBay Member feature.)
• The seller encourages the buyer to contact them outside of eBay or to complete the transaction off the eBay marketplace (without clicking the Buy It Now button on the item page).

Following these basic precautions to stay safe from fake Second Chance Offers will keep your eBay experience safe and fun. It will also help us catch fraudsters, which helps us keep the site safe and fun for others.