I am posting here just to state again that --in emails of this type-- you should never click links contained in the email, even if they look like they are from the PayPal or EBay or whatever web sites. To re-state it: even if the link would be good in your browser (if you typed it in or bookmarked it), it won't go to PayPal or eBay if you clicked it. Thus, if the link in the email looks like this (http://www.paypal.com), you won't go to the legitimate site if you click it. It looks right, but it isn't. So, if you think there might be a problem with your account, type PayPal or eBay's email address into your email form, or type their URL into your browser and access your account that way.

I got this fake email today (A). I forwarded it to PayPal, and they quickly replied (see "B" below) that it was a fake.

(A) -- the fake email:
We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your PayPal account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security of your account and of the PayPal network is our primary concern. Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to sensitive PayPal account features. To restore your account access, please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised:

1. Review your recent account history for any unauthorized payments sent or received, and check your account profile to make sure not changes have been made. If any unauthorized activity has taken place on your account, report this to PayPal immediately.

To get started, please go directly to http://www.paypal.com and log in to your PayPal account.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire PayPal system. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
The PayPal Team

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be
answered. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the
"Help" link in the header of any page.

http://www.sllpaypal.com/login.htm

(B) PayPal's response:
Dear Robert Eisenstadt,

Thank you for contacting PayPal.

Thank you for bringing this suspicious email to our attention. We can
confirm that the email you received; was not sent to you by PayPal. The
website linked to this email is not a registered URL authorized or used by
PayPal. We are currently investigating this incident fully. Please do not
enter any personal or financial information into this website.

Robert