My name’s Garreth and as many of you will already know I work in the eBay.co.uk Trust & Safety team.

There is something I hope that every eBay member in the UK will join me in doing this week: ensure you have as secure a password as possible. I’d like to ask you all to take a moment to think about your eBay password and make sure it’s secure.

There are some basic steps you can take to make sure your password is memorable to you but uncrackable to anyone else:

- Use a combination of at least 8 letters, numbers, upper and lower case and special characters such as £, @ and !.

- Do not use single words that can be found in any dictionary.

- Do not use your name, your partner's name, your pet's name or any personal information that others can easily obtain.

For more tips on how to create a strong password, visit this page on the Get Safe Online website. Get Safe Online is a partnership between the Government, National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and businesses, including eBay.co.uk, that promotes internet safety and has a wealth of safety information that will be of interest to many of you. You can find the website at this address: http://www.getsafeonline.org/.

Once you have created a new and totally safe password, you can change your eBay password by following these steps:

- Open your internet browser and go to eBay.co.uk
- Select My eBay at the top of the homepage
- Click on “Forgot your password” underneath the password entry box
- Follow the instructions to create a new password

Best Wishes,

Garreth
eBay.co.uk Trust & Safety Team