“We will never request their password, account number or credit card number”. Sound familiar? The sort of thing PayPal or eBay would say? Well perhaps, but in this case it’s First Atlantic Federal Credit Union’s turn to warn their customers not to respond to phishing scams. They’re being targeted with offers of $100 to complete a survey.
Phishing is sending spoof emails with the aim of garnering user names and passwords, eBay and PayPal are natural targets as so many people have accounts, you’re unlikely to fall for a spoof from a financial institution if you don’t bank with them anyway.
eBay invest heavily in fraud protection with warnings all over the site. The eBay safety center is full of information security, as Get Safe Online, a joint initiative between the government, the Serious Organised Crime Unit and private sector which eBay sponsor. In addition the eBay toolbar (for IE) will warn you if you enter your eBay user name and password on a non-eBay site.
With Christmas just two days away a host of new users will rush to get online when they open up new computers and laptops. The last thing on their mind will be the possibility of getting scammed. In the event that your eBay account is hacked and taken over there is an eBay Live Help link for hijacked accounts. For help with PayPal in the UK call 0870 7307191 and in the US 1-402-935-2050
The golden rule is never click links in emails and enter your user name and password, always type the URL into your browser yourself and stay safe online.
