Beware of spoof emails
Spoof emails are getting more and more convincing and we are currently seeing a wide range of these emails arriving.
eBay's advice
"Thank you for contacting us about a potential fraudulent (spoof) email or Web site. We will investigate this situation immediately and inform you of the results in a separate email. If you are reporting an email or a Web site that is asking for personal financial information, it is best to assume it is fake until you receive a response from us.
In order to reply as quickly as possible, we are sending you an automated response about the following topics:
- 1. IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES
- 2. USING EBAY TOOLBAR WITH ACCOUNT GUARD
- 3. PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT AND INTERNET SECURITY Please submit other questions or concerns through our Contact Us System, which can be accessed by clicking on the "help" button on the top of any eBay page. This allows us to dedicate our resources appropriately.
IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES
The best defense against fake emails and Web sites is learning how to spot them.
You can learn more about fake emails and Web sites through our Spoof Tutorial at the following Web page: http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/
You can find more information about protecting your identity at the following help page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html
Thank you again for sending us your report. We appreciate your efforts to keep eBay and PayPal safe. Regards, eBay Trust & Safety Team"
Spoof Paypal emails
Paypals advice
"Thank you for contacting PayPal. We appreciate you bringing this suspicious email to our attention. Commonly referred to as phishing, these emails are sent by fraudsters in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or financial information from the recipients. PayPal takes phishing threats seriously.
Our fraud prevention specialists are working 24/7 to help protect you and enable the community to stay safe.
After review, we can confirm that the email you received was not sent by PayPal. Any website which may be linked to this email is not authorized or used by PayPal. Our fraud prevention team is working to disable any website linked to this email. In the meantime, please do not enter any information into this website.
If you have not already done so, you should immediately log into your PayPal account and change your password, as well as your security questions and answers.
Spoof Halifax email example
We also recommend that you contact your bank and credit card company immediately.
If you notice any unauthorized activity on your PayPal account, please report it to us by following the instructions below:
- 1. Log in to your account only from the PayPal website. Do not use links provided in any email.
- 2. Click on the Security Center link at the bottom of the page.
- 3. Click on the 'Unauthorized Transaction' link under the Report a Problem column.
- 4. Follow the instructions on this page in order to access the appropriate form.
Lastly, we recommend taking a few steps to protect yourself from identity theft:
- * Download the SafetyBar, a toolbar for Outlook and Outlook Express, which identifies known spoof emails.
- * Get eBay Toolbar with Account Guard which warns you when you're on a potentially fraudulent (spoof) Web site.
- * Frequently monitor your account for suspicious activity.
For additional tips please visit the PayPal Security Center at http://www.paypal.com/security.
Once again, thank you for reporting this suspicious email.
Your vigilance helps us in our efforts to protect the PayPal community.If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again. "