DO NOT USE EBAY OR PAYPAL!

Hi guys,Just posting a warning that you should not use ebay or paypal right now. I have been trying to purchase a laptop on ebay over the last few days and have contacted five different sellers.The first two asked me to pay them by wire transfer directly into their bank accounts (very suspicious). I complained to ebay and was told that the items listed for sale were actually by rogue users who have found a way to post items using other people's accounts.I also bid on two different auctions, which were cancelled within a few hours by ebay because they were similar hijacked accounts.On the last (fifth) occasion I contacted the seller directly using the ebay "ask seller a question" button, and the seller told me that (according to ebay) he has several pieces of electronics equipment for sale, but they are all unauthorised, and he knows nothing about them.One of the rogue sellers also sent me an executable file, which I (stupidly) ran. Worried that the executable is eavesdropping on my computer usernames and passwords, I've just had to phone my bank and cancel all outgoing payments.The security of ebay and paypal appear to be severely compromised and I thought I would share the information with you - DON'T USE EBAY OR PAYPAL (especially for expensive goods or electronics) for the foreseeable future!CheersMick

Hi Mick,Interesting. I alerted eBay to a guy auctioning a Tecra M4 the other day. His feedback was 100% over 10 items. I checked each item, and 7 were withdrawn items, and the other three were identical low value items. Also, his listing just "seemed" suspicious. His location was "London" but when I enquired about a local collection, he said that it was mail only. This was the point where I contacted eBay.Always check feedback thoroughly... i.e. look at the items bought/sold and the feedback/status of the other parties. I must admit that this is the first I have heard of hijacked accounts.Why do think Paypal is compromised? (other than the obvious connection with eBay)CheersThis message has been edited by cavediver, 10-16-2005 08:30 PM

Over the past several months I have recieved several phishing emails from "ebay" and "paypal". Less web-savvy people would have easily been fooled.

Fraud on Ebay is nothing new. If you see an expensive item at a low price check very carefully. Make sure that the item's location matches the sellers. Check that the seller has a record of successfully selling items of similar value.DON'T run executables received by email unless you know what they are. No matter who it appears to be from.My Ebay shopping is limited to relatively cheap items and I have not had any real problem so far.-

I bought a Laptop on ebay recently with no problems. Naturally when buying an expensive item, precautions must be taken...make sure you are well protected in case it goes pear shaped, speak to the seller to get a feel for their sincerity. Don't buy from some random guy, but instead buy from the professional sellers (eShops) who have a very high interest in protecting the integrity and security of their accounts.If you feel even slightly suspicious, don't bother, it's not worth taking the risk. Its no good buying a 1,000 item for a 200 saving if you think there is a 20% chance you are going to get conned. Four out of five times you save 200, for a total of 800 and you'll lose 1,000 once out of five for a net loss of 200.OK, so that's the twisted mind of an amateur poker player. But seriously, make sure you are happy with the seller, the payment option and your insurance should you get screwed. Consider escrow. Consider going to a computer shop, consider buying mail order.

hi,an example of a clearly fraudulent item is here
The seller is a power seller with excellent feedback. But if you click on "view sellers other items" you find that after a handful of high-end electronics that were all added at the same time as 24 hour auctions, you get hundreds of colourful address labels.It seems pretty unlikely that a specialist in address labels is also selling all the electronics...But perhaps this is nothing new. I'm only assuming that if people can make use of others' ebay usernames and passwords, it must also be possible to make use of others' paypal accounts, since I understand the two verification systems are connected.MickThis message has been edited by mick, 10-17-2005 11:41 AM

The address labels come from Ashburn, GA The laptop from Reno, Nevada. That's suspicious in itself.And since Paypal is accepted for the suspicious items it looks as if your fears there may be valid, too.

Yes, definitely fraud. Have you seen the quality of the adverts, the use (abuse) of English, and the request to email some random AOL address before bidding? The item you pointed out has just been ended. I'm assuming the others will go down soon. eBay is large part of my business, so I will keep an eye out for this kind of behaviour. Thanks for bringing it up.Paypal verification is totally separate from eBay, although if one is daft enough to use the same password for both, then one is asking for trouble!