Yes pj...............I got one these emails, Ask A Seller A Question" and.............almost fell for it, but something stopped me and I did exactly that.....went to my My EBAY and nothing there. Also checked ebay and no bidder or seller by the the user name given.
The idea by JR however is a good one.
One problem was trying to forward it to spoof.......didn't dare even click on it to copy and use a separate email, thus............just discarded............Vaughn
At 03:40 PM 9/27/2005 -0700, pj angel wrote:
If you get a question from a potential buyer, don't "reply" to it. Instead, note the return email address and compose a NEW message -- using a totally DIFFERENT email address to send it with than the one which is registered to your eBay account -- and answer the potential buyer's question that way.
Not bad. But this is even better:
If you get a ASK A SELLER A QUESTION from a potential buyer, don't "reply" to it. Instead, go to your MY EBAY account and if the question/email is legit, it will be listed in your "message center". Answer it there.
pj
JR <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
- PJ,
- The only thing I can think of is this:
- 1) Once they had your email address (the one registered to your eBay account and eBay ID) they somehow managed to re-direct eBay messages sent to that address to themselves. I'm not sure how this is done, but I have heard it is possible -- perhaps by using a little backdoor recently applied to the structure of the internet in the interests of "national security" which the hackers have found out how to access?
- 2) If they could redirect messages sent by eBay to your address to their own address, they could then go to eBay, click on the "forgot my password" button and proceed to change your original password to one of their own -- since ebay sends confirmation messages to the registered account email address that must be received and clicked before the password change can take place.
- I can't imagine it being done any other way if you never typed your password into a cleverly-designed "Trojan" sign-in page.
- If I'm right about how it was done, it means that the internet has been so thoroughly compromised at this point -- by whomever for whatever reason -- that doing business on it is now a much higher-risk proposition than it has ever been. A truly dismal thought.
- Here's one suggestion I'll toss out to the group and see what people think:
- If indeed all they needed to access PJ's eBay account was the email address he had registered with that account, there might be a way to still respond to a question sent to you via "ask seller a question" and be safe. How about: If you get a question from a potential buyer, don't "reply" to it. Instead, note the return email address and compose a NEW message -- using a totally DIFFERENT email address to send it with than the one which is registered to your eBay account -- and answer the potential buyer's question that way.
- -- JR
- ----- Original Message -----
- From: pj angel
- To: JR ; pj angel ; MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
- Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 13:06
- Subject: Re: [MOPO] Help! Weird message from 'Ebay member'/ID THEFT!
- JR, all,
- Scary is right. They were able to access my eBay account, take it over (change the PW), and list bogus auctions just by me answering the "ASK THE SELLER A QUESTION: "Will you combine multiple items for one postage cost?" on my yahoo email account with the answer: "Yes. I certainly will. Thank you for emailing".
- The eBay rep could not offer any explanation. I don't think he could offer one. I still find it hard to believe. If there are any computer geniuses reading this that can confirm this is possible, please do so.
- I'm still wracking the brain: maybe there was something else I inadvertently did wrong.
- pj
- JR <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
- PJ,
- This is one scary story! What bothers me is just how they got hold of the password to your eBay account? When you replied to a seller question, they got your email address, but that should not have given them the ebay account password. Did the eBay rep offer any explanation as to how they got it?
- A note to everyone: Because of stuff like this I do not have a "password list" on my computer and whenever I get to one of those log-ins where they ask "remember me on this computer" I say no. Whenever I see that little checkbox on a sign-in page that says "add to your password list" I make it is NOT checked. I write my various passwords down on a little slip of paper hidden away, and I always delete those confirmation emails you get when you set up an account that include my password.
- JR
- ----- Original Message -----
- From: pj angel
- To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
- Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 12:08
- Subject: Re: [MOPO] Help! Weird message from 'Ebay member'/ID THEFT!
- True Story:
- Yesterday, while I was looking at my ebigtownfilmposters seller site, checking on the VHS/DVDs I have running, to my astonished eyes a new auction suddenly appeared. It was for a $999 exercise bike. As I was trying to reacquire my wits, a second auction appears: a John Deere tractor!! A quick look around the house and backyard revealed neither item. (ha ha)
- The seller fees were hundreds of dollars! (Blood rushing from my face. I'm feeling dizzy...)
- Thinking I was seeing things, I logged out and logged back. Or tried to. My password would no longer work. (Am I gonna faint now?)
- Without the aid of smelling salts I was able to sit for a moment and think out this deplorable situation and by doing so, able to figure out my next move. It was this: Live Chat on eBay got me a moderator within minutes. After explaining the situation to "Kenau", and proving to him I was the right person for the account, the account was immediately "blocked", the bogus fees removed.
- So, how did this happen? Kenau check the account and came up with:
- Answer: I replied to a bogus "Ask A Seller A Question" email in my [EMAIL PROTECTED] account. It looked legit in every way. Sellers get these all the time. I get them all the time. Now I can't trust them anymore. Neither should you. I have changed my ebay Password. I have changed my Yahoo email Password. I will block future emails with eBay in the address and rely only on the message center in the eBay account itself.
- I thought I was the most careful guy on this list when it came to bogus/spoof email protection. I thought I could spot them a mile off. I never responded to any email from eBay in my account. I was careful, careful, careful... Turns out it doesn't matter how careful you are, they'll get you some how, some way.
- Hats off to ebay, though, for the quick and desicisive kill, and fix, of the account.
- The ebay email is worth sharing with you now:
- "Dear ebigtownfilmposters ([EMAIL PROTECTED]),
- It appears your account was accessed by an unauthorized third party and used to place several unauthorized listings on eBay or to alter some of your current listings. Additionally, the email address on your account may have been tampered with, which is why you may not have received an email about these listings we have taken several steps to secure your eBay account
- We were able to end all unauthorized listings on your account without incident. At the time the listings were ended, all associated fees were credited to your account. We assure you that your credit card information is stored on a secure server and cannot be viewed by anyone.
- To regain control of your account, please follow the steps outlined
- below:
- 1. Change the password on your personal EMAIL account to verify that it is secure and cannot be accessed by anyone other than you.
- 2. Click the " “Forgot your password” link on the eBay Sing In page and change your password using the instructions provided.
- 3. Click on the "Security Center" link found at the bottom of most eBay pages.
- Click on the "eBay Account Protection" link the Online Security
- Resources box. This will take you to the help page entitled Securing Your Account and Reporting Account Theft."
- In in a few days I'll request the "block" on the account to be removed (via Live Chat), and with new passwords (at ebay and yahoo) start again, but this time better protected and wiser. I hope.
- Bottom line: Henry, don't even think about responding to this, or any future email, from eBay or PayPal. If you have a question if it's legit or not, forward it to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]: they will let you know it it's good or not.
- pj
- Of course it is. Of course you don't.
- -- JR
- ----- Original Message -----
- From: Henry Mazel
- To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
- Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 9:24
- Subject: [MOPO] Help! Weird message from 'Ebay member'
- I recieved a message that looks like it is from Ebay -- in it, the sender says this:
- "
Hey are you going to bbuy the item from the auction that you won, why dont you answer to my emails, if you dont Respond Now I will contact ebay safeharbor and I will report you ! I am not a fool !
- Thank you,
- uoaction23"
- Of course, I haven't a clue what the sender is talking about, and I haven't bought anything on Ebay that I haven't paid for immediately. There is no auction number connected to the email, either. I've sent this to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Is this some sort of scam? Do I resond to this?
- !
- Any thoughts would be appreciated.
- Henry
- The Poster Mint
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