eBay scam *very careful*

[swingdoc]

Here's a serious warning for you all to heed:
I have been emailed by "eBay" for about one email a week for the last two months.
The emails all mentioned that there has been a problem with my account and that they needed an update of billing info. I have been ignoring the emails for a while, but yesterday, the email said that they were going to close my account unless it was updated. It all seemed VERY legit. The web page looked EXACTLY like an ebay page. All the correct logos, headers, subtitles...EVERYTHING!!. The address was even an ebay.com address.
The return address was titled "ebay billing"
The email had a link for me to follow to update billing info.
As I was going along, I got lucky and thought I'd go through the ebay site first to see if I could find a problem after logging in and going to "my account" page.

The link was supposed to go to an "eBay billing" page. After looking hard I could find no such place on the website. Even went to PayPal to do the same thing. I got suspicious so...
I emailed eBay and gave them all the info about the emails, and they confirmed that it was not from them and this was a scam called "Spoofing".


Guys, I gotta tell ya, I was very lucky not to have followed that link and give them all my stuff.

Be careful and (from ebays response to me):
""Please remember that eBay will never ask you for your private
information, including credit card information or password, in an email.
Also, eBay will never send you any request or solicitation from a
non-eBay email account, or provide a link outside of eBay for entering
credit card or other private information. If you ever need to give us
information, it is suggested that going to the main website and
following links there to the site map or any other place you may need to
give information, is best. You will know for certain that you are on
eBay.

If you entered personal information such as your password, social
security number or credit card numbers into a Web site based on a
request from a spoofed email, you need to take immediate action to
protect your identity. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable
information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself.""

Click here to go directly to the Help page:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/p ... theft.html

Good luck, there are a lot of smart assholes out there.
I just cant stand the thought of good folks getting their ass handed to them by scammers.

[rhythm ranch]

Thanks for sending this warning out. Same thing happened to me. It did look legit.
Mark

[housepig]

I get those pretty regularly. I just copy the full headers from the email and forward them to ebay's fraud department (which, as much as I love eBay, man they bury that contact info!)

that's another thing - if it looks fishy, don't just look at the brief headers that most email services show by default, take a look at the full headers and see where the email originated...

- housepig

[d franko]

There was one from paypal that was going around that was asking for credit card info and such. They will never ask for that stuff.

[Al]

JEZUZ!!..The lengths that some folk will stoop to screw money out of people!.... Highland dancers the lot of em!!!

[Roman Sokal]

i always get emails about password change requests from others-
it even shows the ip address of the potential weasel!

[Roboburger]

My Ebay account was hijacked a few weeks back. ebay was at a loss to explain how the person got access to my account, and I know I never gave out my password.

Basically, the guy used my 100% positive feedback and 50+ reviews to seem like he was legit. then he set up auctions selling high dollar mac gear at a great price, and the auction told you not to bid on the item, but contact him direct. Amazingly, the scammer didn't redirect my ebay handle to send email to his address, and someone emailed me asking for more info. It was absolutly bizzaro to follow the auction link, and see my handle selling Macs! Even MORE amazingly, the scammer didn't change my password, so I was able to shut the auction down and Alert Ebay to the scam. I emailed all bidders and told them what was up, and they all thanked me. Apparently I didn't do it quick enough, because a few weeks later I got email from a guy who promised to kick my ass and sic the feds on me. Here's a bit of his first email to me

>> Sir,
>>
>> It is surprising that you are allowed to operate on ebay again after your
> scam last March through your previous ebay auction of item 3404108342.
>>
> (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... egory=1491
> 2)
>>
>> As you already know, the USPS Postal Inspector's Office is investigating
> this matter for fraud. It would be to your advantage to resolve this matter
> quickly. There is a nice paper trail, including your EMails and signatures
> for the money orders that prove your fraudulent actions. I suggest that you
> either return my money directly to me or through the USPS Postal Inspection
> Service. Their case number is C/SPW/034/S1096850/C1206258. If you do nothing
> by the expiration time that USPS has given you to resolve this matter, I
> intend to pursue every legal option available to me. Ebay may have washed
> its hands of this matter. That does not mean that I have. If sending you to
> jail is one outcome of this, you will only have yourself to blame. Your
> "Gruia Chirita", "Alex G. Chirita" and "Paul Smaltz" aliases (or stolen IDs)
> may make tracking you down difficult, but eventually, you will be found and
> brought to justice.
>>
>> I encourage you to do the right thing and soon.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Robert XXXXXXX
>> --------------------


The guy behind the scam was apparently an African national, and they are now working on getting him booted out of the country!!!

[marqueemoon]

I just got one of these and happened to remember this thread. These punks are still at it.

[trash180]

Roboburger,
I saw those Mac deals. I was gonna email about it. I kinda thought that was sorta strange, and totally way too cheap.

Glad I didn't buy into it, because then I'd have to get the Feds after you...heh.

Wait, was it last March? I think I just saw it a week or 2 ago. Might be a different scam...crazy.

[assfortress]

I just got the update you biling info. looked real but i know they never ask for that stuff, so i emailed ebay. sure enough its a scam.

we should figure out how to scam the scammers.