WARNING ebay and paypal spoof emails

This thread is intended as a warning about spoof emails knows as 'phishing' mails that purport to be from ebay or paypal and which are designed to get users to reveal their details to a third party.

These emails are very common but are equally easy to spot and all tips are wecome. Basically this is what ebay have to say on the subject:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/confidence/isgw-account-theft-spoof.html

This is important to remember:

If eBay requests information from you, a copy of that email will be in the My Messages box in My eBay. You can submit the requested information using My eBay.

This is what paypal have to say about these emails:
https://www.paypal.com/helpcenter/main.jsp;jsessionid=HGsLFcxQzh7wsjQdLTH210spvQxrVlnRMmPphJFzg0dsYp2hpVS2!-1068208876?locale=en_GB&_dyncharset=UTF-8&countrycode=GB&cmd=_help&serverInstance=9003&t=solutionTab&ft=searchTab&ps=solutionPanels&solutionId=38513&isSrch=Yes

The first thing to look at when you get an email you are not expecting is how it is addressed. Ebay and paypal will always use your real name as registered with them, so any mail that starts 'dear user' or 'dear email address' is almost certainly a fake and you don't even have to read any further.

Any emails you receive that you are unhappy about can be sent to [EMAIL="spoof@ebay.co.uk"]spoof@ebay.co.uk[/EMAIL] but be aware that they default to confirming that everything is a fake, even the real ones!

This post is work in progress so I will be back later to add more. However please feel free to add more posts to this thread. let's stay safe out there!
I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
«13456725

Comments

  • Hi

    Just to add to Soolin's post, I work for PayPal UK's PR agency. PayPal takes the threat of phishing very seriously, so therefore we have put together some tips and produced a short film with PayPal's Global Chief Information Security Officer advising users how to avoid phishing emails and stay safe online.

    Neil

    Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYeit_5pHo0

    Tips for avoiding being caught out by phishing emails:

    1. Check your account! If a PayPal user is ever sent an email which seems you should log into your account and verify any activity before going ahead with any transactions.

    2. Generic greetings. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as: "Dear PayPal member." If you do not see your first and last name, be suspicious and do not click on any links or button.

    3. A fake sender's address. A spoof email may include a forged email address in the "From" field. This field is easily altered.

    4. A false sense of urgency. Many spoof emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don't update it ASAP. They may also state that an unauthorised transaction has recently occurred on your account, or claim PayPal is updating its accounts and needs information fast.

    5. Fake links. Always check where a link is going before you click. Move your mouse over it and look at the URL in your browser or email status bar.

    6. Emails that appear to be websites. Some emails will look like a website in order to get you to enter personal information. PayPal never asks for personal information in an email.

    7. Deceptive URLs. Only enter your PayPal password on PayPal pages. These begin with https://www.paypal.com/. If you see an @ sign in the middle of a URL, there's a good chance this is a spoof. Legitimate companies use a domain name e.g. https://www.company.com.
    ·Always log in to PayPal by opening a new web browser and typing in the following: https://www.paypal.com/.
    ·Never log in to PayPal from a link in an email.

    8. Unsafe sites. The term "https" should always precede any website address where you enter personal information. The "s" stands for secure. If you don't see "https," you're not in a secure web session, and you should not enter data.

    9. Misspellings and bad grammar. Spoof emails often contain misspellings, incorrect grammar, missing words, and gaps in logic.

    10. Pop-up boxes. PayPal will never use a pop-up box in an email as pop-ups are not secure.

    11. Attachments. Like fake links, attachments are frequently used in spoof emails and are dangerous. Never click on an attachment. PayPal will never email you an attachment or a software update to install on your computer.

    If you receive a spoof email, forward the entire email - including the header information to [EMAIL="spoof@paypal.com"]spoof@paypal.com[/EMAIL] then delete it from your mailbox.
  • Neil82 wrote: »
    I work for PayPal UK's PR agency.

    Wow. You'll never be short of something to do :rotfl:

    Generally excellent information there Neil... but can you comment on the fact that ANY email sent to [EMAIL="spoof@paypal.com"]spoof@paypal.com[/EMAIL] will generate a 'Yes, this was a spoof email' response - even genuine paypal emails?

    (Try it ;))
    My TV is broken! :cry:
    Edit: refunded £515 for TV 1.5 years out of warranty - thank you Sale of Goods Act! :j
  • DemiDee
    DemiDee Posts: 524
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    In response to Neil, and especially to point number 4, I have to disagree entirely.

    Some of you will be aware that I run a not for profit organisation and we use Paypal for donations and selling other items in our website shop. However, a few days before Christmas, we got an email out of the blue from 'compliance@paypal.com' saying that we needed to submit lots of different documents relating to our account in order to keep it fully active. I submitted all of those items by fax. They then emailed to say that they wanted more information and listed it, but since it was a day or so before xmas, I left it until a day after xmas to fax back. However, in the meantime (ie. over xmas itself!) they emailed to say our account had been restricted due to lack of response. It remains inactive and nobody can donate or buy from our site. They do not give surnames or a telephone number and yet ask for very personal account information. At first, I thought it was a hoax, but sure enough, they have, without rhyme or reason, suspended our account..over Christmas. I just feel thankful that we are not a business that relies on Paypal sales at xmas, but I'm still amazed that they can do this, esp since we've been operating the account for several months without any problems. We now can't even get the money out of the account that has already been donated.

    I have been doing some research since then and found out that I am not the only one who is having problems.
    www.paypalsucks.com shows exactly why people should not use Paypal and why it is far from secure. Meanwhile, we remain in limbo and seem to have no way of resolving this or getting the tiny amount of money we had in our account.

    The latest is, we have now been sent a survey done on behalf of Paypal which requests our feedback on the whole matter now that the limitation has been lifted. Since it hasn't actually been lifted at all, you can imagine our feedback.

    Neil, trying to create good publicity out of a company that treats people in such a despicable manner must be a very hard and unrewarding job. You are convincing, but I'm afraid the truth speaks for itself - one only has to check the paypalsucks.com site to see how many others (some businesses that rely on Paypal) are suffering at the hands of this company.


    Argghhhhh! Dee
  • reehsetin
    reehsetin Posts: 4,916
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    i just got a very realistic spoof saying i won an item, but it lacked an item number, was in dollars and wasnt in 'my ebay' (didnt click through the email) very very realistic though
    Yes Your Dukeiness :D
  • finnerty
    finnerty Posts: 1,650
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    BEWARE this phising Scam e-mail is on the go at the moment :mad:





    357khv4.gif
    MY NAME WAS INSERTED HERE
    2jd2y3t.gif



    this is a very real looking scam and they had my name and paypal e-mail and very authentic looking copy of paypal to try and recieve my details from ... They hope you would automatically hit the dispute transaction button and give them your password and bank details etc :( ... luckily I realised straight away and didn't give them any info and I have forwarded it to paypal spoof

    I would like to know how they got my NAME and paypal address in the first place !!!!!

    Please be careful :D
    :A
  • OMG I have just received this email. I am shaking like a leaf cos I thought someone had used my money! I am relieved that it is a scam (kind of) and I have done exactly the same as you - forward to paypal and didnt click on anything! Thanks for posting this - I really appreciate it
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129
    First Post Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Apart from the excellent advice given above there is another way to quickly check for a spoof - so if somehow the email is addressed to you personally and not "Dear user" you just need to check the status bar of your web browser to see if the address shown there (which is the REAL address you'll be sent to) matches the one in the email.

    So if the address in the email says www.paypal.com/accounts/verify

    Just hover your mouse over it - DO NOT CLICK and then look in the lower left of your browser.

    If you hover over the link above you'll see what I mean - your status bar will show...

    h ttp://Iamaspoofingswinetryingtorobyou.com

    In any event - if you get any such sort of email it's better NOT to use the email to log on to your account but to log on in your usual way. Then when you go to the usual "Account details" link - if there's anything that needs fixing, changing, or updating they'll tell you on the site.
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
    Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
    DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
  • I got sent one today (which Gmail sent straight to my Spam folder) purportedly inviting me to be an ebay Powerseller.
  • I have received this e-mail below. Am I correct in thinking this is a scam?

    Attention! Your PayPal account has been violated! ©‏
    From:Paypal Customer Support © (Global-Privacy@admin.net)i_redshield.gifThis message may be a phishing scam. Sent:09 February 2008 22:47:50To:
  • LimeLight
    LimeLight Posts: 8,038
    First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    Crazygaz wrote: »
    I have received this e-mail below. Am I correct in thinking this is a scam?

    Attention! Your PayPal account has been violated! ©‏
    From:Paypal Customer Support © (Global-Privacy@admin.net)i_redshield.gifThis message may be a phishing scam. Sent:09 February 2008 22:47:50To:

    If you look at the email address, it doesn't even mention Paypal!

    So you can safely say that yes, it is a phishing scam.
    just passing through.... Nothing to see....
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards