8 Surefire Ways to Spot an EBAY Scam E-Mail and Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Ebay is a great site and is used by many to buy and sell new and used Items. It truly is the worlds Largest Garage Sale Unfortunately when an online site becomes as big and popular as E-Bay the scam artists seem to just naturally follow. These Scam artists will often try to steal your Idenity and get your bank or credit card information in addition to your E-Bay Id and Password

A Typical Ebay Scam Artist will send you an e-mail requesting that you update your account. Often this request to update your account is made under some false pretence like it is suspended or has been suspected of Fraudulent use. Here is a Copy of a recent Ebay Scam E-mail I received http://ewguru.com/ebay-scam. You will notice the E-Bay Link on this page looks real. Don't click it. You can however do a right click properties and notice that it is in fact a phony link.

E-bay has an excellent online Tutorial that teaches how to spot and protect yourself from spoof e-mails http://ewguru.com/spoof-emails

Here are 8 Surefire Ways to Spot an EBAY Scam E-Mail and Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

1 - Wrong E-Mail Address

Any E-mail Sent to an E-mail Address that is Not Your Primary Ebay E-mail Account is more then likely a scam.

2 - Fake links.

While many emails have links included, just remember that these links can be forged too. After you click on the Link a Real E-Bay Address should appear. To determine if the Web address in your browser is a real eBay address, look for ".ebay.com" immediately before the first "/".

3 - Requests Personal Information

Any E-mail that requests you enter personal information like User ID, password or bank account number either by clicking on a link in the E-mail or completing a form within the e-mail are a strong indication the e-mail is a SCAM

4 - Urgent Subject Lines

Subject likes * * * Please Verify & Update Your Account * * *

5 - Generic greetings.

Lot's of emails begin with a Greeting, such as: "Dear Ebay member instead of the Name you used when you registered for your account

6 - Scare to Action

Many Fake emails try to trick you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don't sign in and fix it NOW!

7 - HTML Website Fakes

Emails that appear to be websites. Some emails will look like a website in order to get you to enter personal information. Ebay never asks for personal information in an e-mail.

8. Misspellings and bad grammar

Fake emails may contain misspellings, incorrect grammar, missing words. Many Times these are used to trick the E-mail Filters

A quick review If you receive an E-mail with a Link requesting you to click on the link and sign in to your E-bay account, Don't Do It!

If you receive an E-mail that looks like an Ebay Sign in Form, Don't Sign in!

If you are unsure if the e-mail is Real or fake forward it to spoof@ebay.com and request assistance.

If you absolutely must login to your Ebay account then I would highly recommend you do the Following. Close all open Browser sessions. Run a Spyware check on your computer You can get a free Spyware program here (http://ewguru.com/sware) then type in http://www.ebay.com/ directly into your Browser window and Login from the E-bay Web Page. Never click on a Login Link from Any E-Mail.

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built an Organization of over 100,000 Members

Get Mike's Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter

More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

[You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated getarticles At Ewguru .Com]

---

Consumers: Shop Online and Get Information Safely

Do you really have to know how feeds work? Not... Read More

Lottery Scam, What It is and how to Avoid It?

Internet scams and frauds are on the rise! The quantity... Read More

A Personal Experience with Identity Theft

Some months ago, before there was much publicity regarding phishing... Read More

8 Surefire Ways to Spot an E-Mail Identity Theft Scam!

The E-Mail Identity Theft Scam is running Rampant. These E-Mail... Read More

Top Spyware Removers Considerations

Only the top spyware removers are successful at detecting and... Read More

Be Aware of Phishing Scams!

If you use emails actively in your communication, you must... Read More

The Never Ending Spyware Story

It's been with us since 1993, it's gotten more intrusive,... Read More

Virus Nightmare..Lessons Learned

I got a virus the other day, Thursday I believe... Read More

Reducing Fraudulent Transations ? 5 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself

The money being spent online is steadily growing. With billions... Read More

Three-pronged Trojan Attack Threatens Security on the Internet

Glieder (Win32.Glieder.AK), Fantibag (Win32.Fantibag.A) and Mitglieder (Win32.Mitglieder.CT) are not names... Read More

Securities

NETWORK SECURITIES: IMPORTANCE OF SECURITIESComputers and securities must form a... Read More

Just Whos Computer is this Anyway?

Well, this is an article I never thought I would... Read More

Is Spyware Watching You?

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from... Read More

Phishing - Identity Theft & Credit Card Fraud

What is Phishing? Phishing is a relatively newly coined term... Read More

How to Thwart the Barbarian Spyware!

Today,on most internet user's computers, we have the ability to... Read More

Wells Fargo Report Phishing Scam

First off I should explain what phishing is. Phishing is... Read More

The 5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on the Internet

Spyware, viruses and worms... oh my!If you are connected to... Read More

A Basic Introduction To Spyware

Spyware is the most troublesome software to appear on the... Read More

Steganography ? The Art Of Deception & Concealment

The Message Must Get Through The year is 300A.D.,... Read More

Spyware Attacks! Windows Safe Mode is No Longer Safe

Many of us have run into an annoying and time-consuming... Read More

Do You Know What your Kids Are Doing Online?

It's a sad statistic, but hundreds of unsuspecting kids are... Read More

Phishing, Fraudulent, and Malicious Websites

Whether we like it or not, we are all living... Read More

Another Fine Mess!

I'm in the Anti-Spyware business, and I'm doing a lot... Read More

Web and Computer Security

Well, if that would have been said to me by... Read More

Eliminate Adware and Spyware

Everyone should eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive... Read More

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and... Read More

Five Excellent Indie Encryption And Security Solutions You Have Not Heard About

Geek SuperheroGeek Superhero watches your computer for changes, immediately notifying... Read More

Online Cell Phone Scams and Spam

They're out there. Individuals trying to make a quick buck... Read More

What is Spyware?

The most frustrating part of having Spyware on your computer... Read More

How to Know Whether an Email is a Fake or Not

A few nights ago I received an email from "2CO"... Read More

Personal Firewalls - Secure Your Computer

There has not been a time in the history of... Read More

Dialing Up a Scam: Avoiding the Auto-Dialer Virus

For many, the daily walk to the mailbox evokes mixed... Read More

Is That Free Stuff Like An iPod Or Desktop Computer Really Free?

Have you seen the web site, www.freestuff.com? Or have you... Read More