# Weird EBAY Scam attempt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333 "2007-07-03T12:31:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/1 "2007-07-03T12:31:56Z")
I got this weird email, supposedly from EBAY (Loss Control). It said my trading activity would be immediately suspended, due to activities antiethical to EBAY rules. i immediately went to EBAY, and saw nothing amiss with my account. I (of course) immediately discarded this email. What were they trying to do? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/2 "2007-07-03T12:34:31Z")
They were trying to get you to click a link in the email that would supposedly take you to an ebay login page, but in fact is a spoof page designed to capture and steal any personal details you entered. If you clicked the link in the email and entered anything in the web page that came up, go directly to ebay and change your password ASAP. If you entered any other info such as credit card numbers, cancel the cards. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/3 "2007-07-03T14:22:04Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I got this weird email, supposedly from EBAY (Loss Control). It said my trading activity would be immediately suspended, due to activities antiethical to EBAY rules. i immediately went to EBAY, and saw nothing amiss with my account. I (of course) immediately discarded this email. What were they trying to do? [/QUOTE] Obviously, never click on any links supplied in these emails. (I’ve received a few.) If you forward a suspicious email to **[spoof@ebay.com](mailto:spoof@ebay.com)**, eBay can follow through. _Then_ delete it. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/4 "2007-07-03T14:58:19Z")
I get those all the time. They seem to come in waves. You did the right thing by checking eBay first. Those phishing scams are quite prevalent, and there are several variants I’ve received alleging to be from both eBay and PayPal: 1. The “hacked account” scam (eBay, PayPal), where eBay has allegedly suspended your account to investigate potentially fraudulent activity (as you received.) 2. The “fake purchase” scam (PayPal), wherein you receive an alleged confirmation of payment sent to someone you’ve never bought from for something you never purchased, usually for an amount high enough to make you want to click the (faked) link to see what he hell that was about. Naturally, there’s a handy link to go straight to the “dispute page” provided. 3. The “item not received” scam (eBay), where the putative eBay member complains that the item you allegedly sent them has not been received, and they are threatening to report you to eBay. Unlike real eBay questions from buyers like this, the eBay member’s E-Mail address is not displayed, and you are instead provided with a link to the “respond page” on eBay. There are probably others, but these are the ones that I’ve received that I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/5 "2007-07-04T02:35:00Z")
The most recent one I got had an actual legitmate, 100% okay link to eBay Motors. Apparently that page has a cross-site scripting vulnerability. So don’t click on links, even if they appear okay. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/6 "2007-07-04T09:14:53Z")
You guys are scaring me. I just logged onto Ebay for the first time tonight to list an object for sale…they asked for my credit card number and bank account, the same info for the PayPal account…please tell me that is normal policy. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/7 "2007-07-04T09:37:31Z")
If you went directly to eBay on your own, you should be fine. I’ve never sold on eBay so I can’t speak to the normalcy of asking a seller for c/c info. Check for a little padlock symbol somewhere in the margins of the browser window. That indicates a secure (encrypted) site. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/8 "2007-07-04T09:40:51Z")
In general, keep the URL’s for your online banking, e-bay, anything else you want to be sure you don’t get fooled about… in your “favorites” folder. **Never** click links for these sites. **Always** access these sites from your own saved links. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/9 "2007-07-04T09:57:03Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I got this weird email, supposedly from EBAY (Loss Control). It said my trading activity would be immediately suspended, due to activities antiethical to EBAY rules. i immediately went to EBAY, and saw nothing amiss with my account. I (of course) immediately discarded this email. What were they trying to do? [/QUOTE] Please elaborate on the graped phrase, which is the key to whether or not your account is compromised - did you arrive at eBay under your own steam (by opening a browser window and directing it there yourself, or did you click a link in the email. If the former, then you’re fine. If the latter, you need to take steps to re-establish your account security. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-ebay-scam-attempt/410333/10 "2007-07-04T11:28:33Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] You guys are scaring me. I just logged onto Ebay for the first time tonight to list an object for sale…they asked for my credit card number and bank account, the same info for the PayPal account…please tell me that is normal policy. [/QUOTE] Yep, normal - you’ll need to input a credit card and bank account to create a seller’s account, and choose either credit card, bank account or PayPal to pay your seller fees. (This is a one-time thing, unless your card expires or is declined for some reason.) If you went right from eBay, you’re fine, don’t worry. 🙂 You could also, if you’re not comfortable, do ID Verify instead for $5: > **[Security Measure | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/help/account/protecting-account/protecting-account?id=4192)** If you do that, you can sell without putting in a credit card and/or bank account. It’s also a one-time thing, unless you change your address on file. eBay’s secure server is [https://arribada.ebay.com](https://arribada.ebay.com) or something similar, so if you see that it’s all good.