Alastair MacGibbon

All of us at eBay are committed to preserving the safety of the marketplace and we rely on the Community to help in this regard.

I’d like to remind you that safety online starts with keeping your online accounts secure. Me and my team at eBay are committed to helping you protect yourself from spoof emails (also called phishing) and websites, including fake second chance offers. So here are some basic tips to make sure you keep your accounts and personal information secure:

• Never pay with Western Union, Money Gram or other instant money transfer methods. These methods are unsafe for online shopping and it’s against eBay’s Accepted Payments Policy for a seller to ask you to pay with them.
• Check in My Messages to make sure eBay emails are genuine - Any email eBay sends you about your account or requesting personal information will also be in My Messages (located in My eBay). Before responding to such an email, make sure it's genuine by checking My Messages. If it's not in My Messages, it's a fake email. If you receive a suspicious email that looks like it's from eBay or PayPal, please forward it to spoof@ebay.com.au or spoof@paypal.com.au. We will respond within 24 hours to let you know whether or not the email is authentic.
• Always verify Second Chance Offers - If you receive an email with a Second Chance Offer for an item you recently bid on, check in My Messages to make sure the offer is authentic. If it appears in My Messages with the title "eBay Second Chance Offer for Item..." it's authentic. If it does not appear in My Messages, it is not legitimate and should be ignored. You can help us by reporting fake emails to spoof@ebay.com.au.
• Download the eBay Toolbar - The eBay Toolbar includes Account Guard which goes green when you are on a legitimate site and red when you are on a known fraudulent site.
• Monitor your account regularly for suspicious activity - Prevent problems by staying alert and catching any suspicious activity early. We recommend you sign into My eBay and your PayPal accounts frequently to ensure that all the transactions listed are legitimate.
• Be suspicious of any email that requests personal information - Do not click on any links in emails that ask you to submit your financial or personal information if you can not verify its authenticity.

Alastair MacGibbon
Trust & Safety Director, eBay Australia & New Zealand