eBay Motors Security Center

If you cannot meet the seller or look at the vehicle prior to sending a payment, then you might be headed in the wrong direction. The seller in this case may be very polite and apologetic but insists that they cannot meet you due to a special circumstance, such as they are being or have been deployed by the military. Or the seller may tell you they can’t meet because they are going through a divorce, getting married, have experienced a death in the family, or are dealing with health issues. The list of excuses goes on. Keep in mind that legitimate sellers are motivated, making every effort to meet immediately with potential buyers. And generally, if a legitimate seller cannot meet, then they will designate another person to show the vehicle on their behalf.

Criminals know you want to feel safe. They go to great lengths to deceive and disguise their identities, websites, and emails to trick you into thinking they are from a trusted and reliable source. If you see something that just doesn’t look right, then it probably isn’t.

Be on the lookout for:

1. Correspondence that includes poor grammar, broken English, misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, or addresses you formally or mechanically. Responses that are not personalized or have an 'eBay.com' domain.
2. Recognizable words within an email sender’s name or as part of their domain name, such as 'eBay' or 'VPP' (e.g., eBay@vppinsurance.com).
3. Emails containing false information like invoice numbers, transaction case IDs, or VPP case ID #s.

If you are suspicious of any email that claims to be from eBay, sign into My eBay and click the Messages tab. If you do NOT see the same message "From eBay", the email is likely fake. To report a fake email, forward it to cars@ebay.com or in any correspondence addressed to you.

Scammers will try to reach you where you least expect it, including by phone, email, or text message. Be suspicious of any unusual request for your personal or financial information. Don’t click on links that come from people you don’t know, and don’t respond. It’s safest just to delete these messages.

Follow these tips to help you recognize and protect yourself from fraud and scams:

1. Email phishing is one of the most common ways that people become victims of financial fraud, ransomware, or worse. Be suspicious of any request for personal or account information. eBay will never ask you to confirm your account password, personal or financial details by email or phone.
2. Never open or download files attached to emails you aren’t expecting, even if they seem to come from people or businesses you know. Watch out for pop-ups that tell you that you need to verify account information, click a link, or download software. eBay Gift Cards are ONLY redeemable on the eBay website. Never share card codes over email or phone.
3. Learn more about protecting yourself and reporting scams.

Free Shipping

Criminals might say they have access to transportation resources and can coordinate delivery for free—even across the country. If this is being offered, make a U-turn, because you’re about to get scammed.

1. If you’re on eBay Motors as a buyer, you are typically responsible for picking up the purchased vehicle or hiring a shipping company to do so. eBay Motors partners with uShip Logistics where you can set up shipping directly on the eBay motor app (need link). However, some eBay Motors Dealers may offer free shipping on our website. To determine if the listing is from a Private Seller or Dealer, please refer to the field labeled "For Sale By" within the description tab under the “View Full Details” and “Item Specifics” sections.
2. eBay Motors provides Vehicle Purchase Protection only for transactions that start and are completed on the eBay Motors website. In addition, eBay does NOT hold payments or extend protection for non-eBay conducted transactions.

Offering eBay “Protection” on Non-eBay Websites

If a seller offers an eBay warranty, eBay guarantee, a buyer's protection plan, return policy—or if they offer to process your payment directly or hold/secure your funds, find the nearest exit. It’s probably a scammer trying to steer you off course!

The only way to buy a vehicle on eBay is by logging into your eBay account with a user ID/email address and password and one of the following needs to be true:

1. You were the winning bidder on the auction.
2. You clicked 'Buy it now' or you sent a best offer and the seller accepted it.

In either case, the vehicle you purchased will always appear in the purchase history of your eBay account.

Here are a few things that you can do to keep your information safe both on and off eBay Motors. Follow these tips to help you recognize and protect yourself from fraud and scams:

1. Update your browser to the latest version.
2. Create a user ID that is different from your email address and does not reveal your name.
3. Create a unique password that’s easy for you to remember and type, difficult to guess, and includes a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.
4. Don’t reuse your eBay Motors user ID, or email address and password on other.
5. Change your password every 30 to 60 days.
6. Never reveal your eBay Motors or online payment passwords to anybody. Consider using a password manager.
7. Never store passwords on your smartphone or tablet.
8. Deselect the “Keep Me Logged In'' option when using a public computer or when you are not actively using a site. Simply closing your browser is not enough to ensure privacy.
9. Be aware of who is around you and may be watching what you are doing online.
10. Direct Bank Transfer where the bank account is provided (see example)

Fake emails often include the eBay logo and a fake eBay address in the "From" line (for example, "From: support@ebay.com"). Just because an email looks real doesn't mean it is. To report a fake email that looks like it came from eBay, forward it as an attachment to cars@ebay.com.

Know the difference:

Fake email	Real eBay email
Request replies that contain confidential information	Won’t ask for information that’s confidential.
Use urgent and threatening language and instruct you to update your information or risk account suspension.	Important messages about your account will be in the Messages tab in My eBay.
Frequently include attachments.	Our emails never include attachments.
Often contain a generic greeting.	Will greet you with the last name you registered on eBay with.

Fake emails often include links to fake web pages designed to trick you into giving up your financial or account information. Here are some tips to help you determine if a web address goes to a real eBay web page:

Watch Out for Fake URLs (web addresses)

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 (/).

Real eBay addresses:

• http://pages.ebay.com/help/index.html
• http://hub.ebay.com/community
• https://signin.ebay.com/

Fake eBay addresses:

• http://signin-ebay.com/
  This address contains a dash (-) instead of a period (.) between "signin" and “ebay”.
• http://page.@ebay.com
  This address has an at sign (@) between the period and “ebay”.
• http://signin.ebay.com@10.19.32.4/
  This address has something between the ".com" and the forward slash.

If you're signing in with your eBay username and password, be sure that the web address starts with https://signin.ebay.com/. Look for the "s" in "https”, which indicates that you're signing in to a secure server. This is one more way you can help protect your personal information.

When in Doubt, Start on eBay.com

If you want to sign in to eBay or enter personal information, the safest way is start at the eBay home page. Type www.ebay.com in your browser and go from there.

Make Sure You're on a Real eBay Sign-in Page

Before you sign in to eBay, make sure you're really on our website by checking the web address (URL) on the sign-in page. Other eBay companies and international sites have different web addresses for their sign-in page.

Sign in web addresses for eBay and our other companies:

Site	Web Address
Ebay.com information	https://signin.ebay.com/...
Kijiji.ca	https://www.kijiji.ca/t-login.html
Stubhub.com	https://www.stubhub.com/my/profile
WorldofGood.com	https://signin.worldofgood.ebay.co

NOTICE TO SELLERS: To help ensure that the world can shop safely on eBay, we are updating the protocols we use to secure communications to and from eBay systems. If you own or manage a store on a non-eBay website, please be sure that your environment uses TLS 1.2 by March 30, 2018.

Learn More.

1. Make sure you are logged in to the real eBay site.
2. Complete your payment using an eligible payment method.
3. Do not share your credit card or other financial information over email or text.
4. Don’t be fooled by fraudulent emails directly from the seller telling you that there was something wrong with your payment.
5. Don’t be fooled by offers to get a better price by paying outside of eBay or by using an unapproved payment method.
6. Due to potential for fraud, we don't allow buyers and sellers to complete sales outside of eBay. These sales are not eligible for Feedback, requests for contact information, or eBay's problem resolution services.
7. The eBay Money Back Guarantee covers the purchase price plus original shipping if the item doesn't match the seller's description. Buyers need to pay with an eligible payment method. Cash, checks, and money orders are not covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee.
8. Don’t transfer money directly into a seller’s bank account. Instead, use a secure payment site such as PayPal, where money is transferred between two electronic accounts.
9. Avoid communicating with sellers privately off eBay. The record of your communications will provide helpful backup information in case you have problems with your purchase or payment later.
10. Don’t agree to unusual requests to make additional payments for shipping or other previously unlisted charges after the sales transaction is complete.
11. Don’t share unnecessary personal information with buyers or sellers.
12. Never accept overpayments from buyers for items, especially if the buyer asks to be reimbursed for overpayment. Requests like this are often part of a counterfeit cashier's check scheme. Learn more about avoiding payment problems.