Hi, I'm Dave Steer, and I work on the Trust and Safety team at PayPal. My team's responsibility is to raise awareness within the eBay and PayPal Community about the ways you can stay safe when buying and selling online.

Identity theft continues to be a fast growing crime that affects consumers wherever they are. We're committed to helping you protect your privacy and, specifically, to help protect you from spoof (also called phishing) emails and websites.

I'd like to reiterate some basic tips to make sure that you are keeping your accounts and personal information secure:

• Be suspicious of any email that requests personal information – Be cautious of emails that request you to click a link and submit your financial or personal information.
  
• Look for cues to verify the authenticity of emails – Any email that PayPal sends you will include your first and last name in the greeting. For all eBay emails, check My Messages (located in My eBay). Any email eBay sends you about your account or requesting personal information will also be in My Messages. If you receive an email asking for information about your account or requesting personal information and it's not in My Messages, it's a fake email.
  
• Report suspicious emails to us – In case you receive a suspicious email and you're not sure if it's really from eBay or PayPal, please forward it to spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com. We will respond (usually within minutes) to tell you whether or not the email is authentic.
  
• Download the eBay Toolbar and the PayPal SafetyBar – The eBay Toolbar includes Account Guard which indicates when you are on a legitimate eBay or PayPal site, and alerts you when you are on a known fraudulent site. PayPal's SafetyBar detects fraudulent emails in your email program and puts them in the spam folder.
  
• Monitor your account for suspicious activity – The best way to prevent damage from identity theft is to stay alert and catch any suspicious activity early. I strongly recommend that you log into your eBay and PayPal accounts frequently to ensure that all the transactions listed are legitimate.
  
• Pay safely and securely – Only enter your financial information on secure websites. Check that a website is secure by looking for the closed lock symbol () near the bottom of your browser window. And, of course, use a safe payment method such as PayPal, which lets you pay without sharing your financial information with the person receiving your money. PayPal also covers you 100% against unauthorized money sent from your account.
  
• Stay informed – You can find out the latest information on safety, security and identity theft protection by visiting the PayPal Identity Protection pages and the eBay Security & Resolution Center.

Sincerely,
Dave Steer
Sr. Manager, PayPal Trust & Safety