A warning to Ebay and Paypal users.

[Paxoman]

A couple of weeks ago I got an email (supposedly) from Paypal, saying that there had been some unusual activity on my account, and asking me confirm that it was me doing this activity. There was a list of what was happening, and it appeared that someone in Poland and Bulgaria was trying to access my Paypal account. The email said my account would be suspended if I did not reply to the email.

Anyway, me being the doubting Thomas that I am, I ignored the email and the links on it, and copied the email to Paypal, but actually logging into Paypal, rather than using the link on the email. Paypal were good enough not to bother to reply to me, but seeing as my Paypal account didn't get suspended, I took it that the email was fake. Must I must add, it was VERY official looking, with all the right banners etc.

Anyway, on Sunday I got an email from Ebay, saying that someone had tried to change my password and asking me to contact Ebay. Again, the email was very official looking, with all the right banners. Again, I ignored the links on the email, and logged into Ebay myself, and forwarded them both the Ebay email, and the Paypal one. Ebay wrote back to me yesterday confirming that both emails were fake. So anyone using Ebay/Paypal, be very very careful. I must stress that these emails look very very genuine. It is only because I am such a doubting Thomas that I was suspicious. I am sure loads of people have been caught out.

 

[rockandrollsteve]

A couple of weeks ago I got an email (supposedly) from Paypal, saying that there had been some unusual activity on my account, and asking me confirm that it was me doing this activity. There was a list of what was happening, and it appeared that someone in Poland and Bulgaria was trying to access my Paypal account. The email said my account would be suspended if I did not reply to the email.

Anyway, me being the doubting Thomas that I am, I ignored the email and the links on it, and copied the email to Paypal, but actually logging into Paypal, rather than using the link on the email. Paypal were good enough not to bother to reply to me, but seeing as my Paypal account didn't get suspended, I took it that the email was fake. Must I must add, it was VERY official looking, with all the right banners etc.

Anyway, on Sunday I got an email from Ebay, saying that someone had tried to change my password and asking me to contact Ebay. Again, the email was very official looking, with all the right banners. Again, I ignored the links on the email, and logged into Ebay myself, and forwarded them both the Ebay email, and the Paypal one. Ebay wrote back to me yesterday confirming that both emails were fake. So anyone using Ebay/Paypal, be very very careful. I must stress that these emails look very very genuine. It is only because I am such a doubting Thomas that I was suspicious. I am sure loads of people have been caught out.

I believe they call this phishing. Got the same ones you are talking about and a new one which mentions the FBI or CIA and that your IP address has been searching banned websites and that would should contact them, DELETE THESE.

Never Surrender

 

[valanx]

Yeah i had one of those paypal emails myself a while back! Bastards!

 

[bert]

Ebay and Paypal will NEVER ask for your account details via an unsolicited e-mail. I used to reply to these by inserting bogus usernames and passwords with something derogatory about the losers mother and what he could do with a goat but I don't bother replying now. If you hover over the link they provide it'll show you the actual site/url you will be re-directed to. One of them is even called ebav.com so at first glance it looks kosher. Safest thing to do is never reply to unsolicited e-mails and if you are using supposedly secure sites make sure the padlock symbol is present and the url starts https. 'Let's be careful out there!'

 

[secret_weapon]

I am sure loads of people have been caught out.

Thanks for the warning, my friend! I'm on Ebay all the time, so this is definitely a cause for concern to me. Haven't gotten any of those emails, though. Thanks anyway!

 

[valanx]

Ebay and Paypal will NEVER ask for your account details via an unsolicited e-mail. I used to reply to these by inserting bogus usernames and passwords with something derogatory about the losers mother and what he could do with a goat but I don't bother replying now. If you hover over the link they provide it'll show you the actual site/url you will be re-directed to. One of them is even called ebav.com so at first glance it looks kosher. Safest thing to do is never reply to unsolicited e-mails and if you are using supposedly secure sites make sure the padlock symbol is present and the url starts https. 'Let's be careful out there!'

Good info and good advice mate!

 

[secret_weapon]

Update: I just got an email from Ebay today saying that the results of an auction I won three months ago are null and void. The seller and I were both happy with the results of the transaction, and nothing funny has happened with either of our accounts since then that I'm aware of. Anyone have any idea why I am getting this message about a successful transaction being null and void so long after the fact? Seems kind of fuct up to me.

 

[bert]

Did the e-mail contain a sign-on for your account details? Never,EVER submit your account details. If you have then your account can be hijacked.I'd change the password quickly. The other sort of e-mails will display an item number that contains a link. This link won't be anything to do with ebay but rather some other site the sender wants you to hit. If you log on to the genuine ebay sites and use the 'help' and then put email in the A-Z index you'll find a categorycalled 'Email impersonating ebay'. In here it tells you what to look for and some measures you can take to protect yourself.

 

[Paxoman]

Another thing that occurred to me the other day is this. When you win an Ebay auction, you get an email from Ebay saying that you have won, and to now pay. What is to stop these people waiting to see who wins an auction, and then sending a fake email saying that you have won, and you end up linking into their fake website? Afterall, you are actually expecting an email from Ebay. What I do now if I win an auction is; I ignore the winning bid email from Ebay, and sign into Ebay myself, and go to my Ebay and pay for the item that way.

 

[RayNJ]

Another thing that occurred to me the other day is this. When you win an Ebay auction, you get an email from Ebay saying that you have won, and to now pay. What is to stop these people waiting to see who wins an auction, and then sending a fake email saying that you have won, and you end up linking into their fake website? Afterall, you are actually expecting an email from Ebay. What I do now if I win an auction is; I ignore the winning bid email from Ebay, and sign into Ebay myself, and go to my Ebay and pay for the item that way.

just log into the sites and do your business from there, never through e-mail. E-mails are just to inform you and shouldn`t be used to conduct payments through. I get those e-mails all the time and have gotten them for about 5 years now. Just delete them. PayPal and eBay will contact through the phone # you provided if it is an actual problem.

 

[Wyvern]

A couple of weeks ago I got an email (supposedly) from Paypal, saying that there had been some unusual activity on my account, and asking me confirm that it was me doing this activity. There was a list of what was happening, and it appeared that someone in Poland and Bulgaria was trying to access my Paypal account. The email said my account would be suspended if I did not reply to the email.

Anyway, me being the doubting Thomas that I am, I ignored the email and the links on it, and copied the email to Paypal, but actually logging into Paypal, rather than using the link on the email. Paypal were good enough not to bother to reply to me, but seeing as my Paypal account didn't get suspended, I took it that the email was fake. Must I must add, it was VERY official looking, with all the right banners etc.

Anyway, on Sunday I got an email from Ebay, saying that someone had tried to change my password and asking me to contact Ebay. Again, the email was very official looking, with all the right banners. Again, I ignored the links on the email, and logged into Ebay myself, and forwarded them both the Ebay email, and the Paypal one. Ebay wrote back to me yesterday confirming that both emails were fake. So anyone using Ebay/Paypal, be very very careful. I must stress that these emails look very very genuine. It is only because I am such a doubting Thomas that I was suspicious. I am sure loads of people have been caught out.

I have got those e-mail in the past a lot. The best part it's that I cancelled my Gay Pal subscription long ago (I don't like those guys), so obviously there couldn't be any activity on a dead account, isn't it?

NP: Icarus Witch - 'Forevermore'