Important: If you suspect that your account has been tampered with, read the Securing Your Account page and follow the instructions immediately.

eBay works hard to provide you with an enjoyable and safe environment to buy and sell. We take lots of steps designed to help ensure the security of your account – and so can you! We’d like to outline some of them here.

Here are some steps you can take to protect your eBay account:

• Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.

• Beware of fake email and websites requesting sensitive information.

• Install and update online protection software.

• Monitor your account for suspicious activity.

Here are some additional steps eBay is taking to protect your account:

• Identity Confirmation

• PayPal Security Key

Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully

• Your user ID and password give you access to your eBay account. Your user ID is the nickname that identifies you on eBay. Your password is the key to your account. You should choose both a user ID and a password that are not related to your email address or any of your other online accounts. Using the same sign-in information for several online accounts means that if someone can access one of your accounts, they can access all of your other accounts as well. Creating a unique user ID also minimizes unwelcome email from other eBay members.

• If your user ID is the same, or similar to your email address, you should change your user ID. eBay users can contact you after you have changed your user ID by using the Contact an eBay Member feature.

• Review Creating and Protecting Your Password for tips on how to select a secure password. Note: You should change your eBay password every 30 to 60 days.

• In addition to changing your password regularly, you should also change the secret question and answer associated with your eBay account. Read tips on selecting an effective secret question.

Beware of fake email and websites requesting sensitive information

• A major threat to the security of your eBay account is impostor email and associated websites, called spoof email and spoof websites. Both are used to obtain personal and account information.

• lf you receive an e-mail that looks as if it is from eBay and mentions a problem with your account or requests personal information and it's not in My Messages in My eBay, it is a fake email. Forward suspicious e-mails to spoof@ebay.com

• eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If eBay requests information, eBay always directs you back to the eBay site.

• Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognizing Spoof (Fake) eBay websites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.

• Install the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard to warn you when you are on a potentially fraudulent Web site. Learn more about Account Guard.

Install and update online protection software

• Anti-virus software. Computer viruses can log and record keystrokes. Emails can carry viruses that can find and transmit information from your files. Install the latest version of anti-virus software and use it regularly to scan your computer.

• Spyware protection. Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage. By maintaining current versions of spyware protection you can be sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.

• Internet firewalls. Firewalls are either hardware or software that control the flow of information to and from your computer. Using a firewall helps prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to sensitive information stored on your computer. It is especially important to use a firewall if you have a high-speed connection that is always connected to the Internet.

Monitor your account for suspicious activity

• Periodically check your My eBay account and preferences to ensure that no one has tampered with your account. It's a good idea to periodically check all your online accounts, not just your eBay and PayPal accounts.

• If you see anything out of the ordinary with your eBay account, report it to eBay immediately and take action quickly to secure your eBay account and protect yourself from identity theft.

How eBay helps protect your account through identity confirmation

Keeping your personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We continuously use a variety of technologies and techniques designed to prevent unauthorized access to your information. As part of this program, eBay will attempt to recognize a trusted member automatically by verifying the computer they use. If an attempt is made to sell an item with your account from an unrecognized computer, we will require additional confirmation to protect your account from unauthorized access.

If an account owner is using a new computer ‑ perhaps at the office or at a friend’s house ‑ that owner will have to confirm his or her identity before they can sell on the site.

To help identity confirmation work quickly for you, we recommend that you:

• Ensure that your personal information is current. We might need to confirm the information in your account, such as your telephone number or address. We would also highly recommend that you provide us with a secondary phone number.

• Review your secret question. Make sure the secret question and answer you have on file is easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.

The PayPal Security Key adds extra password protection

Add an extra layer of security with the advanced password protection of the PayPal Security Key. The PayPal Security Key is a lightweight, sturdy, keychain-sized device that generates a unique six-digit security code that you add to your password when you sign in to eBay. Learn more about the PayPal Security Key.