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New eBay Scams... Beware
  • DocHornetDocHornet
    Posts: 152Expert Adviser
    I've experienced a recent spate of fake eBay scam emails, that you might want to pass along to other car guys. Basically, if you have an item listed on eBay, these guys send out what appears to be the standard "an eBay member has a message for you" which usually says something like "I'm interested in buying the 'item' you have on eBay.. please email me"

    The fake eBay email has the standard yellow RESPOND button. when you click on the button, a fake eBay login screen appears, and this is where they collect your user name and password for other nefarious purposes.

    I almost got caught up in this yesterday, then just after "logging in" realized I'd been scammed, so immediately opened a new session in eBay and changed both user name and password.

    The cure for this is to NEVER press the RESPOND button to a supposed eBay email. Instead, log in to your eBay account and go to the messages section to see if there really is a message there. If not, the email message you received is totally bogus.

    Here's an example of a recent one I got. Usually the wording of the message gives it away.

    image
  • Park_WPark_W
    Posts: 2,057Platinum Member
    Another one I almost fell for a few months ago ... seller on Cars.com said Edmunds.com was serving as an escrow service for the sale because the owner was serving overseas. I got a bit suspicious when they said the payment was to go via Western Union to an address in FL. Then I stumbled across a note on Edmunds.com that said they never provide this type service and there had been some spoofing going on, so I aborted the process, but just in time.
  • 46HudsonPU46HudsonPU
    Posts: 4,956Moderator
    Never, NEVER use any 'link' in an email to access what is supposed to be your 'online' account, regardless of what account it is for (Ebay, PayPal, your bank, Amazon.com, etc., etc.). If you feel that you need to check the authenticity of the email/correspondence, go directly to your account on that website yourself. And even then - I treat any/all correspondence of that type with more than a bit of skepticism.

    I do not respond directly to any of those types of emails - and I get them on a daily basis...
  • hudsontechhudsontech
    Posts: 4,077Platinum Member
    I don't even respond to the emails, like from PayPal, telling me that they want to update my account. Just delete it. Sad thing to all this is there is probably, over the years, been at least one genuine email offer - if I don't recognize the sender I just delete it.
    So if any of you send me an email that doesn't look quite right don't get mad if I don't answer it. In the nearly 20 years being on the internet I've only picked up one virus, which wiped out my hard drive - and that ain't bad Leroy. Which is why all my Hudson files are backed up or run off flash drives.

    Hudsonly,
    Alex Burr
    Memphis, TN
  • walts garage-53
    Posts: 1,488Platinum Member
    Alex, just this morning I got an E-bay message saying my account will be closed if I do not reply as soon as possible. I do not have an account with them, so lust deleted it. Walt.
  • 54SuperWasp54SuperWasp
    Posts: 530Gold Member
    I am very independent on money. I regularly flush e-mail telling me I inherited millions of dollars almost every month...and always from somebody in Africa! I did not know I was so popular there. I will ask Sam not to put my picture again in the WTN. Michel
  • hudsontechhudsontech
    Posts: 4,077Platinum Member
    Walt, I get emails from ebay saying that my account will be closed - I just delete them and so far my account (I have one) has not been closed.
    It's called "phising". Somebody out there wants your info and they are "phishing for it"!!

    Hudsonly,
    Alex Burr
    Memphis, TN
  • walts garage-53
    Posts: 1,488Platinum Member
    The scammers get their addresses by people that put them in E-mail. Add 3 things before the address, I put 3 a's and tell the person to drop the a's. It's a computer that picks them up and when they send an e-mail it's returned. Walt.
  • MikeWAMikeWA
    Posts: 1,459Platinum Member
    Another way to avoid email harvesting is to spell out the punctuation- mmittge at compprime dot com is mine.

    Also, Walt said "I don't have an account with them, so just deleted it." Actually, even if you do have an account with the bank that wants updated info, delete it anyway. They use many different bank names, and even a blind pig finds an acorn once in awhile. If bank needs more info, they will contact you directly, usually by mail- they will not email you.
  • dougsondougson
    Posts: 601Platinum Member
    I like to think I am carefull and never open or respond to anything I don't recognize etc., however, I did get screwed by a character in the "UK" (Nigerian) who claimed to have a part I was looking for. Fooled once shame on ME.
  • stepdownstepdown
    Posts: 48Hitchhiker
    I too got a e mail from E -Bay , Pay Pal ( but wasn't ) . The e - mail stated the $2000. Plus transfer was submitted but needed approval... to get my attention ..With the YELLOW RESPONSE BUTTON...So the key here don't response to e mail but check your account .
  • 46HudsonPU46HudsonPU
    Posts: 4,956Moderator
    Yup - the key point and focus here is:
    - Be skeptical, do not 'trust' that any email is actually is from who or what it indicates it is from;
    - Do not trust any email, or ANY link, 'button', etc., in ANY email;
    - If you can do it, access your email in a 'text' mode - many emails have embedded html code, which you cannot see;

    If you get what you think is a legitimate email from some source - go directly to that website (independent of the email) to verify the information provided in the email. Do not use any part of that 'suspect' email in checking the validity of the email's content;

    If there is any doubt - delete the email, don't even bother opening it.
  • houbrowngmailcom
    Posts: 12Hitchhiker
    Not only on EBay, but Auto Trader. The scammer will use the pictures from some legitimate seller and post them on Auto Trader. Let's say a 1956 Ford Convertible in beautiful shape is listed in front of a Beverly Hills home, for $6500.00. That's a pretty great car for a low price. You send an email to them. They tell you the husband is a wounded war vet and needs money for a farm tractor, that's why they're selling. The car is actually at a shipping company ready to go. Send money. This happened to me, but I said "do you have a clear title and where can I see the car?". To make a long story short, they said the car was in Oklahoma. I said OK, where can I see it? Then it was at the shipping company in Calif. OK< where can I see the car? The moral of the story was the price was way too low for a 56 T Bird Convertible and if I could not see and touch the car, I wasn't going to buy it. Don't generally buy a car if you can't touch it. There are some good, honest people selling vehicles, but this wasn't one of them.

    d brown