These scams are called "phishing" scams. They send out legitimate-looking e-mails designed to get you to click on the link, go to their fake website, and give away your confidential login data.

Some are laughably bad, and some look quite good.

The advice is always the same: don't try to reach a known website though a link in an e-mail. Type in the address like you would any other time to assure you are being taken where you have always been taken before. Or you will be taken elsewhere, and taken big time.

It helps to forward these e-mails to the proper investigators at eBay (spoof@ebay.com) or PayPal (if that is the apparent sender - spoof@paypal.com). They work quickly to shut down the servers that host these frauds. The quicker they receive reports, the faster they can act before damage is done.

The scammers are counting on a couple things: before they get shutdown (and they know they will be), they can get a few gullible people to follow their lead.