Topics > Safe Trading > Spoof Emails

Spoof Emails

Protect yourself from fraudulent (spoof) emails
eBay is working hard to help keep your account safe from hacking and unauthorized intrusions. Some community members have reported receiving deceptive emails claiming to come from eBay, PayPal, or other popular Web sites. These emails are also known as "spoof" or "phishing" emails. The people who send these emails hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click on a link contained in the email and then provide sensitive personal information (for example, eBay passwords, social security numbers, or credit card numbers).

We strongly encourage you to be cautious when responding to any email request for sensitive personal information.

Remember, just because an email looks like it's from eBay, doesn't mean it really is. An eBay address in the "From" line of an email (for example, "From: support@ebay.com", "From: billing@ebay.com", "From: eBay Account Maintenance") does not guarantee that the email is from eBay.

You can also take a few simple steps to protect your account and prevent senders of deceptive emails from doing harm:

Be sure you are on an eBay page
Before signing in, check the Web address in your browser. If you click on a link in an email, verify that the web address in your browser is the same as the address shown in the email. The Web address of most eBay sign-in pages begins with http://signin.ebay.com/. Never type your eBay user ID and password into a Web page that doesn't have ".ebay.com" immediately before the first forward slash (/).

Always use a secure server when submitting credit card numbers
Before submitting credit card numbers over the Internet, ensure that you are using a secure server. The beginning of the web address in your browser window should be "https://" and not "http://". For secure server pages, you should also see a "lock" icon at the bottom of the browser.

Do not send sensitive personal information via email
eBay will never ask you to send your account password or other sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers in an email. Some deceptive emails will ask you to enter your password or sensitive personal information directly into a form within the email in an attempt to defraud you - don't do it.

When in doubt, use the eBay Web site
Any doubt that the email really is from eBay? Simply open a new browser window, type www.ebay.com, sign-in, and use the "site map" link to navigate the site. And make sure you sign out when you are finished, especially if you are using a public computer.

Report suspicious email
Help us keep our community safe. If you have any doubt whether an email is from eBay, forward the message to spoof@ebay.com immediately. Don't alter the subject line or forward the message as an attachment - doing so makes it more difficult for us to react quickly.

Contact your bank or credit card company
If you have already replied to a fraudulent email with sensitive personal information or entered data through a fake Web page, contact your bank and/or credit card companies immediately to prevent identity theft. eBay also recommends that you check your Account and My eBay preferences periodically to ensure that no one has tampered with your account.

Educate yourself
eBay's Help system provides detailed information about spoof emails, identity theft, and what to do if your eBay account has been compromised.

Related Help topics:

Account Theft: Overview
Email and Web sites impersonating eBay
Securing your Account and reporting Account theft
Protecting your Identity

Address of this page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/spoof-email.html