This article contains a number of steps that you can take to help protect your eBay account from identity theft and scams.
Secure Passwords
Secure passwords combine both letters and numbers. Be sure to use something that is not easily guessed and change your passwords at least every six months.
Also, your eBay password should be unique to your eBay account. Unique passwords are an important preventive step in case a hacker gets hold of one of your other passwords.
Account Monitoring
Make sure to keep an eye on your account so you can spot suspicious activity and notify eBay if you find anything. A good rule of thumb is to monitor your bank account, phone company account, and any e-commerce accounts. You can also request a credit report every year to ensure that it is accurate.
If your eBay login information has been compromised, change your account information immediately.
Emails that Ask for Personal Information
Any official eBay message that asks for personal information will appear in your My Messages folder. If it doesn’t appear here, it probably is a fake. Forward the entire email to spoof@ebay.com.
Even if the web address contains the word “eBay”, it might not be an eBay website. Real eBay web addresses have “.ebay.com/” in them. There won’t be anything between the period and “ebay” and there won’t be anything after the “.com” and the first forward slash (/).
Restoring Your Accounts
If you are an identity theft victim or think you might be, contact the organizations below. The Federal Trade Commission offers an Affidavit of Identity Theft that can be notarized and sent to creditors and agencies.
- Credit Bureaus: Contact the three credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
- Banks and other financial accounts: Contact all your bank and other financial accounts to make sure that all of your accounts are secure.
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service: If any fraudulent charges are discovered on any of your accounts, call your local Consumer Credit Counseling Service at (800) 388-2227 for help in clearing false claims from your credit report.
- Check Guarantee Companies: If a cybercriminal has opened a bank account in your name, contact a check guarantee company, such as Telecheck. They can flag your file so that the counterfeit checks are refused.
- Contact Other Agencies: You may also want to be in touch with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Social Security Administration, the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, and the US Postal Service for ID theft involving mail.