Ebay Fraud!

[kacyk]

I received an email from Ebay to indicating that my account had been suspended. the link brough to the Ebay web site and asked that I put my information in again to activate my Ebay account. Unfortuantely, without thinking I gave them a whole ****load of personal information that I regret.

It turns out it wasn't from Ebay at all! I contacted the 3 credit bureau's, etc. But damn, that was was very convincing!

Does anyone know if you can change your driver license number?

[kacyk]

I received an email from Ebay to indicating that my account had been suspended. the link brough to the Ebay web site and asked that I put my information in again to activate my Ebay account. Unfortuantely, without thinking I gave them a whole ****load of personal information that I regret.

It turns out it wasn't from Ebay at all! I contacted the 3 credit bureau's, etc. But damn, that was was very convincing!

Does anyone know if you can change your driver license number?

[DRTYFN]

How many times have I said EBay is saturated with fraud? Shame on you for replying to an email requesting personal information.http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

[kacyk]

My Bad! I just can't believe I fell for it! Phuk!

[Fubar]

that s*cks man sorry to hear it.

as for the drivers license number change? I don't believe so. It is the nearest thing to a National ID card we have I don't think they will allow you to change the number. I'd call the DMV and ask when you get a few hrs you can kill on the phone..

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
I received an email from Ebay to indicating that my account had been suspended. the link brough to the Ebay web site and asked that I put my information in again to activate my Ebay account. Unfortuantely, without thinking I gave them a whole ****load of personal information that I regret.

It turns out it wasn't from Ebay at all! I contacted the 3 credit bureau's, etc. But damn, that was was very convincing!

Does anyone know if you can change your driver license number? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Klaus]

Sorry to hear about this. The State of Washington's DL info web site is:

http://www.dol.wa.gov/ds/dl.htm

There is a section that says:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Identity Theft
Should you become a victim of identity theft the Department offers a few services to help our customers. You may also want to visit the Federal Trade Commission's internet site for ways to protect yourself.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Which takes you to a link that says:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I have been a victim of identity fraud. Does DOL provide any services to help with this issue?

The Department of Licensing suggests you immediately contact your local law enforcement to report your identity theft. They may assign you a case number that can be referenced as you attempt to clear your identity.

In addition, please reference the following link for specific issues relating to DOL services: http://www.dol.wa.gov/ds/dsifaq.htm

You may also want to visit the FTC web site "ID Theft, When Bad Things Happen To Your Good Name", to find out what you can do to deter identity theft.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And finally:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">What if my DL or ID card is misplaced, lost, or stolen?

Immediately obtain a replacement at your local Licensing Services Office
Note: Unless fraudulent activity is detected within DOL, DSI will not place a flag, alert, or comment on your record, nor cancel or void your DL or ID card.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd call them anyway at (360) 902-3900 and see what they say. Also, they recommend contacting the FTC, so it's worth a shot.

You might also want to see if you can file a police report just to get it on the record that this happened.

Best of luck.

[ree]

kacyk,
Sorry to hear this. These phishing attacks are very convincing.

What did you do when you contacted the credit bureaus? Did you place a "fraud alert" on your "account?"

I ask because we did this when my wife's purse was stolen from her office at work. It temporarily gave us some peace of mind, but unlike they suggested, these alerts were not lifted after 6 months and this created problems.

While these alerts were in place, it was impossible for us to get credit in her name for things like store shopping cards and some other stuff. For instance, those deals where you apply for a new store card to get the 12-month-no-payment style credit all had to be done in my name. In theory the are supposed to simply see the "fraud alert" when applying and ask for more thorough proof of identity. But it seemed that the credit application systems and/or the employees were too stupid to follow this procedure.

We ultimately had to make some very lengthy phone calls with the credit bureaus and some other information clearing house company (Credit Account Services if I recall) to restore things to normal after about a year and a half.

So if you place a "fraud alert" on your identity, be prepared to run into all sorts of trouble getting new credit and/or use your wife as a sole credit holder.


For everybody's sake, and hopefully obvious in retrospect:

no organization worth anything will contact you asking you for information totally out of context

[ree]

BTW, do Washington state DL's use social security number in them? If so, I think there's a federal statute giving you leverage to demand that they reassign you a new ID not using your SSN.

[HummerNewbie]

Sorry to hear it happened. Never click on those links! I do look at where the link goes just out of curiosity though. You can always tell it is a fraud because of the domain or IP that the link points to. They get pretty creative with the domains though. If you even think it is valid, simple go directly to the website or call the company. Don't use the link in the phishing email.

[NJ H2]

Check this out:
A while ago I received a bogus email from what looked like ebay. I opened the email and it asked me to become a power seller. I never clicked the link because I knew it could be a scam. I did however leave the email open and went to ebay directly by typeing in http://www.ebay.com
Those f'nnnn bastards were able to watch me type my password in and hi-jacked my ebay account http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif. They listed a quad and a Horse Trailer for sale with a buy it now price. Every link on the bogus auctions, when clicked, brought up an email to their email address.
Fortunatly, I contacted ebay and they removed the auctions right away.
Any email message from ebay is also located under "messages" in your "my ebay" so never ever open any emails from ebay.

[kacyk]

Thanks all. I've been making calls all morning. Hate this stuff!

[ree]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NJ H2:
Check this out:
A while ago I received a bogus email from what looked like ebay. I opened the email and it asked me to become a power seller. I never clicked the link because I knew it could be a scam. I did however leave the email open and went to ebay directly by typeing in http://www.ebay.com
Those f'nnnn bastards were able to watch me type my password in and hi-jacked my ebay account http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif. They listed a quad and a Horse Trailer for sale with a buy it now price. Every link on the bogus auctions, when clicked, brought up an email to their email address.
Fortunatly, I contacted ebay and they removed the auctions right away.
Any email message from ebay is also located under "messages" in your "my ebay" so never ever open any emails from ebay. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

NJ H2,
What email client and web browser were you using?

[dochummer]

WA DL's don't use the SS#.

Sorry to hear that Kacyk. I haven't gotten any of those emails but have heard about them on Clark Howard.... http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Good luck!

[rodster]

Originally posted by Klaus:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The Department of Licensing suggests you immediately contact your local law enforcement to report your identity theft. They may assign you a case number that can be referenced as you attempt to clear your identity. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not an option. File the police report -- you'll need the case number when dealing with your new creditors when and if your identity is used.

I went through this last year. We had a workman in our home doing odd jobs. My old military ID and other service-related mementos were framed and hanging in our home. The military ID has my SSN on it.

Today that framed collection is in the closet, everything that's personal and thrown away is shredded and our mailbox locks. Scumbags are everywhere. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

Sorry to read you're dealing with this.

[dochummer]

Hey Kacyk, check your PM. I know someone that handles ID theft and internet fraud in WA state.

[kacyk]

Thanks again everyone. I did go to the police this morning and they will not issue me a case # since nothing has happened (in their opinion). Essentially I need proof that someone has actually tried to purchase goods in my name before a case will be assigned.

Currently I have fraud alerts with all three bureaus and have purchased a package through Equifax to monitor my credit. It even alerts my cell phone when my credit cards exceed a certain level.

[ree]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
...
Essentially I need proof that someone has actually tried to purchase goods in my name before a case will be assigned.

... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's a shame. A lot of law enforcement still is not computer savvy. They'll do a police report if a wallet or purse is stolen, but not if some supposedly nebulous information is taken via software.

If you really wanted to press the issue, you could snapshot your browsing history and it would contain the URLs that you posted info to. While that won't contain all the data that was given away, it's as good as a witness's statement that something of value was taken and it's actual material evidence (albeit falsifiable) about the incident unlike a simple verbal statement...that is if the LEOs new anything about computers.

[ratesguy]

Kacyk--You could be overlooking something here. Contact the IRS. Why? Someone stole my sisters id and opened a business using her ssn. The income from that business is reported under her ssn(used to get the employer id #) and now she must prove the income and the employment taxes are not hers. What a pain. There is some procedure at the IRS to report id theft but you must do it before the income is reported or the burden is on you to disprove that you earned the money. Good luck!

[devilsfan]

BTW, the same frauds send out emails like that from Paypal. So don't click on that link either.

Stacy

[rodster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
I did go to the police this morning and they will not issue me a case # since nothing has happened (in their opinion). Essentially I need proof that someone has actually tried to purchase goods in my name before a case will be assigned. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm no lawyer but this might be worth looking at. http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Htm/Bills/Session%20Law%202005/1888-S2.SL.htm

[PARAGON]

Damn, how did I miss this one.

Call, don't email, call your local FBI office. They act upon different guidelines for this. Unfortunately, you have probably been the victim of an international scam and this might be a while before it come back to bite you in the ass.

You need to get proactive now, though. Don't settle with a simple wait and see attitude. Secondly, file a formal complaint with the FTC so that it gets on the record. You might also want to contact the SSA to look at getting a new SSN also.

Lastly, contact Ebay's FIT division and see if they will work with you to prevent anything from happening. They will have the most up to date information on the actions you might can take. This is how you can get a hold of them. http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/law_enforcement.html

[4churchill]

sorry to hear that kacy!!!!!

[kacyk]

It's been three days since I contacted Ebay via their web site to inform them of this and no response. I guess they could give a rip. I've been monitoring my credit daily with the Equifax system and nothing irregular. I did use my credit card today and I was automatically alerted of the purchase on my cell phone. Pretty cool stuff.

[dochummer]

Just got this email last night.. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Dear valued PayPal® member,

Due to recent fraudulent transactions, we have issued the following security requirements.

It has come to our attion that 98% of all fraudulent transactions are caused by members using stolen credit cards to purchase or sell non existant items. Thus we require our members to add a Debit/Check card to their billing records as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. Your Debit/Check card will only be used to identify you. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and renew your records you will not run into any future problems with the PayPal® service. However, failure to confirm your records will result in your account suspension.

We are requesting this information to verify and protect your identity. Federal regulations require all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record identification from all persons opening new accounts or obtaining ongoing payment services. This is in order to prevent the use of the U.S. banking system in terrorist and other illegal activity. For these reasons, PayPal® will utilize services provided by various credit reporting agencies to verify the information you submit to us.

Once you have updated your account records your pending PayPal® account transactions will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

To update your billing records please login to your account by clicking here.

Thank you for your time,
PayPal® Billing Department.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1995-2005 PayPal Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the PayPal User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

[dochummer]

Ha! Just noticed their typo! http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[PARAGON]

forward the email to submit@phishcop.net

[MovinH2]

I get something like that from paypal daily.

[kacyk]

Finally got a response. Some of this is good to know for us all. Also, check out the na,e of the person who responded. I had to laugh.

Hello,

Thank you for writing to eBay and alerting us of this situation.

The email you reported did not come from eBay. I reviewed your account
and it does not appear to have been tampered with. There is also no
record of unauthorized bidding or selling at this time, and your account
is not suspended.

It sounds like you may have unknowingly provided a fraudulent entity
with the information they were requesting. If this is the case there are
some steps you will need to take to protect yourself against fraud.

If you entered personal information such as your password, social
security number or credit card numbers into a Web site based on a
request from a spoofed email, you need to take immediate action to
protect your identity. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable
information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself.

To get to the "Protecting Your Identity" Help page from the eBay site,
please follow the steps outlined below:

- Go to the eBay site and click on the Help link at the top of most eBay
pages
- Click on the "Safe Trading" link, which will open a list of sub
categories
- Click on, "If Something Goes Wrong"
- Click on "Identity Theft" and review the information provided

If you gave out other information such as social security number or
credit card numbers you will need to contact the agencies below to
further protect your information from being used for fraud.

1. Contact your credit card company to let them know what has taken
place and cancel the card.

2. If you provided bank account information, please contact your bank to
inform them of the situation.

3. File a police report immediately as some credit card companies
require this when an account has been compromised.

4. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security Number.

Equifax 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW) 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union 1-800-680-7289

5. File an identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
You can file a complaint by using one of the following options:

- Internet: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
- Telephone: 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)
- TTY: 202-326-2502

6. Change the passwords on all of your online accounts, including your
email account and possibly your online banking websites. These may
include Billpoint, PayPal and your personal banking account.

Hopefully your actions are swift, as they will protect you in this
situation. Additionally, I want to assure you that eBay has a team in
place and is working with various law enforcement agencies on an
investigation into this situation. I have already forwarded your
information on to them.

As a reminder, within the eBay Privacy Policy, we strongly recommend
that you do not give out your password and User ID to anyone. eBay has
very high standards when it comes to your privacy and the information
that you provide us. We use your information in accordance with our User
Agreement and Privacy Policy. We provide you with prior notice whenever
we modify or change our User Agreement or Privacy Policy. Our privacy
policies are held to the high standard of outside organizations, such as
TrustE http://www.truste.org. For a review and summary of our privacy policy,
please go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/welcome/privacy_summary.html

Even if another person gains access to your eBay password and logs into
your eBay account, your credit card and bank information is still safe
on our site. Sensitive banking information cannot be accessed using
your ID and password.

Currently we store all sensitive information on an encrypted server.
Information previously supplied may be updated but cannot be retrieved
by the user. This means you may add new information but cannot access
old information. This is just one of many safeguards we use to protect
your most sensitive information.

Many companies offer our users third party services that require the use
of their eBay password and User ID. We do not know how these companies
use your information and therefore, we still encourage you, as a general
policy, not to disclose your User ID and password to anyone, and read
very closely a company's privacy policy if you choose to provide any
information to them.

We appreciate your efforts to contact us regarding your experience.
Please let me know if there is anything further I can do.


Regards,

Farrah
eBay SafeHarbor
Investigations Team

[HGW]

I got a number of these fraud mails from a look a like e-bay and pay pal. I did not open them but I will report the next ones.

They are really good fakes.

It is also why I am not a big e-bay buyer but it is the rage of the internet. I got burned once--never twice!

[ree]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HummersGoneWild:
I got a number of these fraud mails from a look a like e-bay and pay pal. I did not open them but I will report the next ones.

They are really good fakes.

It is also why I am not a big e-bay buyer but it is the rage of the internet. I got burned once--never twice! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Certainly, getting stiffed by a buyer or seller is a reason to reconsider using them.

But phishing is not a reason to use not e-bay or paypal. These companies are only at fault in as much as they're successful and have widely recognized names.

If I didn't do business with someone because their name was used by a phisher, I'd also not be able to go to Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Sears, Staples, Office Depot, plus many, many others that I get these emails for.

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ree:
If I didn't do business with someone because their name was used by a phisher, I'd also not be able to go to Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Sears, Staples, Office Depot, plus many, many others that I get these emails for. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Over the past year or two I have also gotten multiple phishing emails supposedly from each and every major bank in the US.

[MovinH2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I got a number of these fraud mails from a look a like e-bay and pay pal. I did not open them but I will report the next ones.

They are really good fakes. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


I got 4 today alone. Looks like it x-mas time.

[Kiraco]

Yahoo is having some of the same problems!
If you use Yahoo and get an email stating that your account has been suspended don't open.
CS said to verify that it is from Yahoo the email address will contain @yahoo-inc.com