Protecting your eBay account
Here's what you can do to protect your eBay account:
Here are some additional steps eBay is taking to help protect your account:
Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.
Your user ID and password give you access to your eBay account. Your user ID is the nickname that identifies you on eBay. Your password is the key to your account. You should choose both a user ID and a password that are not related to your email address or any of your other online accounts. Using the same password for several online accounts means that if someone can access one of your accounts, they can access your other accounts as well.
If your user ID is the same, or similar to your email address, you should change your user ID. eBay members can still contact you after you have changed your user ID by using the Contact an eBay Member feature.
Beware of phishing (fake) emails and websites asking for sensitive information.
A major threat to the security of your eBay account is fake emails and web sites, called spoof or phishing. They are used to get personal and account information.
If you receive an email that looks as if it is from eBay and mentions a problem with your account or requests personal information and is not in My Messages in My eBay, it is a fake email. Forward suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.com.au.
eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If eBay requests information, eBay always directs you back to the eBay site.
Install and update online protection software.
Anti-virus software. Computer viruses can log and record keystrokes. Emails can carry viruses that can find and transmit information from your files. Install the latest version of anti-virus software and use it regularly to scan your computer.
Spyware protection. Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your internet usage. By maintaining current versions of spyware protection you can be sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.
Internet firewalls. Firewalls are either hardware or software that controls the flow of information to and from your computer. Using a firewall helps prevent any unauthorised parties from gaining access to sensitive information stored on your computer. It is especially important to use a firewall if you have a high-speed connection that is always connected to the internet.
Monitor your account for suspicious activity.
Periodically check My eBay to ensure no one has tampered with your account. It's a good idea to periodically check all your online accounts, not just your eBay and PayPal accounts.
How eBay helps protect your account through identity confirmation
Keeping your personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We continuously use a variety of technologies and techniques designed to prevent unauthorised access to your information. As part of this program, eBay will attempt to recognise a trusted member automatically by verifying the computer they use. If an attempt is made to login to your account from an unrecognised computer, we will require additional confirmation to protect your account from unauthorised access.
If an account owner is using a new computer ‑ perhaps at the office or at a friend’s house ‑ that owner will have to confirm his or her identity before they can sell on the site.
To help identity confirmation work quickly for you, we recommend that you:
Ensure that your personal information is current. We might need to confirm the information in your account, such as your telephone number or address. We would also highly recommend that you to provide us with a secondary phone number.
Review your secret question. Make sure the secret question and answer you have on file is easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.
Add extra password protection with the PayPal Security Key
Add an extra layer of security with the advanced password protection of the PayPal Security Key. The PayPal Security Key is a lightweight, sturdy, keychain-sized device that generates a new six-digit security code that you add to your password when you sign in to eBay. Learn more about the PayPal Security Key.
