Spoof emails claim to be sent by reputable companies in an attempt to steal the identity of the recipient. Sometimes called phishing emails, they fake the appearance of a popular website in the hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click on a link contained in the email and then provide confidential information (for example, eBay passwords, bank account or credit card numbers).
To help us protect your eBay account and your identity:
An email message from eBay:
Never asks you to provide bank account numbers, passwords, or other confidential information through email. If an email affecting your eBay account is legitimate, it will always appear in the My Messages section of My eBay. If it isn't in My Messages, it's likely to be a fake. For more information see Using My Messages.
Does not require you to enter information on a page that cannot be accessed from the eBay site. When possible, you should avoid clicking on links from an email. Instead copy the address and paste it into your web browser. Even though eBay sends emails that contains links, the links are provided for convenience only. You will not be required to submit confidential information if a direct link is provided to an eBay page.
Will not include attachments. If you receive a message that appears to have been sent from eBay that includes an attachment, do not open it.
May be a misdirected "Forgot your password" message. These messages are sent when a member enters a User ID using the "Forgot your password" feature. After the User ID is entered, a notice is sent to the email address registered to that account. If you received this email unexpectedly, it is probably because someone else mistyped their own User ID when using this feature.
Typical characteristics of spoof email
The following characteristics are warning signs that the email you received may not be legitimate.
Uses eBay terms, department names and often includes the eBay logo to resemble common eBay emails.
Has a generic greeting like “Attention eBay Member.”
Often includes a forged eBay address in the "From" line of the email. For example, "From: support@ebay.com", "From: billing@ebay.com", "From: eBay Account Maintenance." Just because the sender line includes “eBay”, does not guarantee that the email is from eBay.
Contains threats of account suspension or urges quick action. Other subjects can include problems with your account, ask the seller a question, or offers to become an eBay PowerSeller.
Includes a request to provide personal information, to verify your password, or to confirm account information.
Contains links to web pages that look exactly like eBay sign-in pages.
What to do when you receive a suspicious email
Do not send personal information in an email. eBay will never ask you to send your account password or other confidential information such as credit card numbers in an email.
Never click on a link in an email if you are unsure of its origins, especially if the email asks for personal financial information. The purpose of spoof emails is to lead you to a website in an attempt to collect personal information and commit identity theft or other crimes.
When in doubt open a new browser window and type in www.ebay.com.au. For more information see Recognising Fake eBay Websites. Make sure you sign out when you are finished, especially if you are using a public computer.
Report the email by forwarding the email to spoof@ebay.com.au or spoof@paypal.com.au.
Monitor your account for suspicious activities. eBay also monitors suspicious account activity and will contact you about changing your password if necessary.
Important: If you have already replied to a fraudulent email with personal information or entered data through a fake web page, you need to take immediate steps to protect your eBay account (see Securing Your eBay Account and Reporting Account Theft) and your identity (see Protecting Your Identity).
Reporting phishing/spoof emails
If you have any doubt whether an email is from eBay, help us to keep our community safe by reporting it immediately.
To report suspicious emails: Forward the message to spoof@ebay.com.au or spoof@paypal.com.au.
Important: In order for us to investigate your report fully, you must forward the email without adding attachments, adding text or altering text.
Once you have forwarded the email, you can delete it from your email account.
Protecting yourself against phishing/spoof emails and websites
Learn how to spot fake emails. Take the Spoof email tutorial and review our Security Centre.
Install the free eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. Account Guard warns you when you are on a potentially fraudulent website. To download, go to the eBay Toolbar.
