They may try to make you go to a fake website and divulge your login information or financial details
They may send fake emails suggesting that your account has been (or will be) suspended
They may send fake Second Chance Offer (SCO) emails or ask questions about items you are not selling or have not bought
In all cases you should log into your account to confirm whether an email is legitimate or not.
Always access your account by typing the eBay URL (e.g. www.ebay.com) directly in a new browser window – never log into your eBay account using links in an email
If an email doesn’t look quite like the notifications you receive from eBay or PayPal, and particularly if the email contains grammatical or spelling errors, you should be highly suspicious – forward any suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.co.uk for confirmation
Always use secure passwords for both your eBay and email accounts. Here are some tips for creating a safe password:
Secure passwords are 6 or more characters long and contain a combination of numbers and letters
eBay passwords are case sensitive – so you can use a combination of capital and lower-case letters for increased security
Don’t use the same password for your eBay and email account
Never write your password down where someone can easily access it
You should consider changing your passwords regularly (e.g. every 6 months)
Never give out any sensitive details like bank information or passwords
Install anti-virus and anti-malware software on all computers you use and ensure they’re kept up to date – most are very easy to install and maintain, and some are free for personal use.
Contact your bank/credit card issuer to cancel unauthorised transactions
Contact eBay and inform Customer Services about what has happened – they can provide further useful information and initiate actions against any fraudulent accounts
Make a police report
Share your experiences on the eBay forums with other buyers and sellers so that they know what to avoid