Below are important safety tips that can help keep your accounts and personal information more secure and help guard against fraud, including spoof (also called phishing) emails and websites, and fake second chance offers.

• Check My Messages to verify the authenticity of eBay emails. - Any email eBay sends you about your account or requesting personal information will also be in My Messages. Before responding to an eBay email asking for information about your account or requesting personal information, verify it's authentic 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, please forward it to spoof@ebay.com. We will respond (usually within minutes) to tell you whether or not the email is authentic.

• Always use a safe payment mode. - eBay strongly encourages its members to use payment methods that are safe. Click Here to see the list of Safe Mode of Payment. avoid using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or Money transfer. It's against eBay’s Safe Payments Policy for a seller to request payment via these methods as they've proven to be unsafe when paying someone the buyer doesn't know.

• Always Verify Second Chance Offers. - Sending fake Second Chance Offers is a common trick used by fraudsters. If you receive an email with a Second Chance Offer for an item you recently bid on, please check your My Messages inbox (located in My eBay) on the eBay site 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 the Second Chance Offer does not appear in My Messages, or appears with a different title, it is not legitimate and should be ignored. Help us fight this, by reporting these fakes to spoof@ebay.com.

• 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

• Monitor your account regularly for suspicious activity. - Prevent problems by staying alert and catching any suspicious activity early. We recommend that you log into your eBay and PayPal accounts frequently to ensure that all the transactions listed are legitimate.

• Be suspicious of any email that requests personal information. - Be cautious of other emails that request you to click a link and submit your financial or personal information. If in doubt, call or contact the institution first to verify the authenticity of the email. Do not click on any links in this type of email if you can not verify that it is authentic. 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 payment method such as PaisaPay, which lets you pay without sharing your financial information with the person receiving your money. PaisaPay also covers you upto 50,000 for any eBay purchase.

You can find out the latest information on safety, security and identity theft protection by visiting eBay Security & Resolution Center.

We are always available for you if you have any questions or suggestions on how to make eBay safer.

Sincerely,
Sharat Digumarti
Sr. Manager, Trust & Safety Policy