eBay WORKSHOP: PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT, Wednesday, February 23, 2:00-3:00 PM EST

[carly@ebay.com]

Workshop: Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Please join us here for a workshop on Identity Theft and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Our special guest, Staff Sergeant Barry Elliott of Phonebusters will be here from 2pm – 3pm on Wednesday, February 23rd to answer questions and give practical tips on how to safeguard your identity.

Identity Theft is the fastest-growing type of fraud – it affects thousands of Canadians each year at home, in the office, at the shopping mall and online. Learn how to minimize the opportunity for a thief to get your personal information and what to do if you think someone has been using your identity. eBay believes that consumer education is a vital component of identity protection. Vigilant consumers who exercise common sense, monitor their accounts and protect their personal information are the best equipped to safeguard their identity. Visit our security centre for more information on identity theft and how Phonebusters can help.

Hope you can join us!

Regards,
Carly

[remi245]

im ave a trouble whit my acount une pople ave hacked my acount im ave change my password
and the poeple hacked my make a item for sale im not ave this im notpaid the 200$ the fee for this the item is
Item number: 4529655715
an my acount is :remi245
plz erase this or juste erase the fee because im not paid this im not make this

[islandcar]

I'm not to concerned about fraud through eBay, Most credit cards today have a policy on wrongful use of their card/charges and will protect the victim if proven not guilty. In fact, in Canada I believe all credit cards must have this type of consumer protection. I have purchased hundreds of items through eBay, online, telephone purchases, etc... and never once had a problem. In fact, legitimate internet purchases are 1000% safer than when you give your credit card to the waitress and she takes it away to swipe it. Think about it.

My question:
In the unlikely event my personal information is fraudulently obtained from eBay, how does the eBay Corp. report the incident to my local police dept./RCMP?

How is eBay addressing this constant problem of those fraudulent emails that go out all the time asking to "verify" their account? How did they even know I had an account never mind how they got my email address? I consider this to be eBay's biggest security concern to all its customers and I feel eBay is doing very little to resolve it.

islandcar

[moira@ebay.com]

Hello islandcar,

The fraudster does not know you have an eBay account for certain. The are likely assuming that because there are over 115 million users worldwide, there is a good chance that anyone randomly emailed will have an eBay account. Other popular phishing emails feature Sympatico, CIBC, Royal Bank, PayPal, Citibank, and other large brand names.

eBay does not sell your personal information and we do not release any information about our individual users.

eBay has made it increasingly difficult for a fraudster to even know if you are a user. You might remember that we used to allow people to have an email address as their user id. We no longer do this because the bad guys could send a crawler across the site and grab anything that had an @ sign in it and then use that list to send spoof emails.

eBay redesigned our emails - we will never ask for personal information in an email -- EVER. We will not ask you to enter your credit card information in an email. If eBay needs you to update your credit card information, we will send you an email and ask you to go to My eBay and login, click on Accounts and update your information. We give you the path, not the link to the page.

eBay created the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard to safeguard our users from entering and visiting fake eBay or PayPal websites. This is a free download. For more information on the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard or to download it, click here.

Additionally, eBay sits on many forums with government, law enforcement and private companies to jointly combat fraud, spoof and phishing. For example, eBay.ca is actively participating in National Fraud Awareness Month led by the Comptetition Bureau. For more information on this group, please click here.

In the US, eBay and PayPal helped create the Phish Report Network to protect companies and consumers from scam artists (the story was picked up by the Vancouver Sun on Feb 15th, 2005). The other creators are Microsoft and Visa and the early warning system is operated by WholeSecurity Inc.

Regards,
Moira
eBay

[moira@ebay.com]

Hello everyone and welcome to our workshop on Identity Theft. With us today, we have an expert in Identity Theft, Detective Staff Sergeant Barry Elliott of Phonebusters.

Detective Staff Sergeant Barry Elliott has been a member of the Ontario Provincial Police since 1975.
Barry Elliott, is the creator and coordinator of PhoneBusters National Call Centre (P.N.C.C). In 1993, Barry created a partnership with law enforcement, consumer agencies and business to fight telemarketing fraud. His plan was to set up a single Canadian location for telemarketing fraud complaints and data that would focus on enforcement and education.

PhoneBusters also plays a vital role in the collection and dissemination of victim evidence, documentation, statistics and tape recordings to outside investigations. In addition to telemarketing fraud PhoneBusters is also compiling information on Identity Theft, Advanced Fee Fraud Letters commonly known as Nigerian Letters, Internet Fraud and in the Province of Ontario, Elder Abuse.

In 1997, Barry built on PhoneBusters' phenomenal success by launching SeniorBusters, a group of about 60 volunteers from diverse backgrounds who are making contact with elderly victims from across Canada and the U.S.

We will post some Frequently asked questions and answers, but please feel free to ask any questions you have

Regards,
Moira

[nickie*nine*doors]

Barry Elliott: My husband and I have both been victims of identity theft. We have discovered dozens of credit cards that have been issued in our names. Usually there's a second card issued to each of these accounts, which is not in our names, but in the name(s) of a stranger. We have had to cancel all but one of our credit cards. We have registered our names with Equifax and TransUnion. However, new credit cards continue to be issued with our name and address. What good does this do? Creditors are warned to phone us first if anything is applied for in our name. However, it's a warning only, and they don't have to follow it. What else can we do? How can we send a stronger message to NOT issue any credit cards?

[phonebusters]

What is identity theft?
It means someone has taken your personal information and used it for fraudulent activities. These theives steal your personal information and use it to impersonate you and commit fraud using your reputation. One example, an identity thief takes your personal information and applies for a credit card and then makes fraudulent purchases on the card. The bank thinks you are the one buying the items because it was your information that the thief used. Identity theives are looking for key information such as names, addresses and phone numbers plus social insurance numbers, driver's licence numbers, credit and banking cards, banking information, calling cards, birth certificates and passports.

How do the bad guys get my identity?
There are a number of ways that fraudsters use to get your information.
1. Call you and say they are from the bank but they need you to confirm your credit card number, expiration date and your address.
2. Steal your mail.
3. Re-route your mail without your knowledge so you don't see the new credit card they opened in your name.
4. Send a phishing or spoof email threatening that your account will be closed unless you "verify" your personal information on their fake website.
5. Steal your purse or wallet or break into your home office.
6. "Dumpster diving" - they root through your garbage and find old bank statements or credit card statements.
7. Install keystroke programs that spy on you while you are on your computer and record every key you type so they can figure out your passwords.
8. Buy the information from a dishonest employee working where personal and financial information is stored.
9. Tampering with ABMs and point of sale machines to read the information stored on your banking or credit card.
10. Searching public records such as obituaries, phone books and news stories.
11. Stealing your car that contains bank statements, credit card statements, a laptop computer etc.

[4823kim]

What an awful situation to be in, Nicki. I really feel for you. I hope they catch whoever it is 🙂

[4823kim]

Do they install these keystroke programs by breaking into your home ?

[phonebusters]

Make sure that your account is red flagged at the credit bureaus so that provided that the financial institutions are doing the proper credit checks, it should ensure that the credit cards are not being issued.

If you can afford it, there is a great product called Identity Guard available at identityguard.ca which will monitor all your credit files at once 24/7 for a monthly fee of about C$15. You will be notified by email as soon as there is any change in any of your key profile indicators and if a credit check is issued which means you can stop any credit card or line of credit from being issued at the source.

Kind regards,
Barry Elliott

[*christmasangel*]

How can you be absolutely sure that you are safely using ABM's and POS machines - oh and excuse me good afternoon 🙂

[phonebusters]

Warning Signs that you might be a Victim:

The signs can be many, but typical indicators that your identity is being used include:

• A creditor informs you that an application for credit was received with your name and address, which you did not apply for.
• Telephone calls or letters state that you have been approved or denied by a creditor that you never applied to.
• You receive credit card statements or other bills in your name, which you did not apply for.
• You no longer receive credit card statements or you notice that not all of your mail is delivered.
• A collection agency informs you they are collecting for a defaulted account established with your identity and you never opened the account.
* Your bank account statements show withdrawals or transfers that you didn't make

Safety Tips from Phonebusters
Identity Theft: Tips that will help minimize your risk.

1. Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared.

2. Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time.

3. Guard your mail. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. Ensure mail is forwarded or re-routed if you move or change your mailing address.

4. Utilize passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SIN or your phone number.

5. Minimize the identification information and number of cards you carry.

6. Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the internet unless you have initiated the contact or know whom you're dealing with.

7. Keep items with personal information in a safe place. An identity thief will pick through your garbage or recycling bins. Be sure to tear or shred receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements and credit offers you get in the mail.

8. Give your SIN only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.

9. Don't carry your SIN card; leave it in a secure place.
Remember: There is no reason to be paranoid; there's just reason to be careful. If someone wants desperately to target you, they can probably get a lot of information about you -- so you just need to minimize the criminal's opportunities to get that information. You can make yourself a harder target and that the best defense. If you are a victim, do not panic, you will not be out any money. The losses will be attributed to the banks and or companies associated with the fraud.

[nickie*nine*doors]

We ARE red-flagged. But that only works if the credit card issuer does the proper credit check, and denies the application. Last month, ANOTHER credit card (an American one) was issued in our name. When I called the company, they said it was up to their discretion whether or not to issue the card.

Sooo, just to test the waters, I went into my local Sam's Club, and applied for a credit card myself. Sure enough, they handed me the credit card on the spot. I purchased goods with it, and received the bill 2 weeks later. NEVER received a phone call to verify the application.

Red-flagging by Equifax and TransUnion is not enough !!! It doesn't work !!!

[4823kim]

Yikes !!

[phonebusters]

How can you be sure you are safely using ABM or POS terminal:

1) If the machine says that it is out of order after you have swiped your card, this may be cause for alarm. In situations like this, it may be a false front has been put on the machine with a camera on it.
2) Pull up on the PIN pad
3) Cover your hand while you enter your PIN

But most of all: Monitor your chequing accounts and credit card accounts online each week to identify if there is an issue immediately contact your bank. Be sure to report if there is a suspicious deposit or withdrawl to your accounts as well by contacting customer support immediately.

Barry Elliott

[*christmasangel*]

Why do I find that I keep having to sign into My Ebay even when I'm already here? Didn't I read somewhere that there is a new scam that redirects you to another site and you think you are signing into eBay when in fact you aren't - you're just providing someone else with your user ID and password? I've been a little paranoid about this and have been known to go back to the home page to sign in. I'm having to sign in sometimes 4-5 times a day. 😞

[phonebusters]

If companies continue to issue cards without doing the proper credit checks, the company will have some civil liability to you. I'm surprised that this activity is taking place as we have seen very few cases where credit cards were issued without a proper credit check.

I would deal very strongly with a customer service manager and ensure that due to the circumstances of being an ongoing identity check victim, that they do the proper checks or they could face some civil liability. Be firm and make sure they understand the situation and always remember you are not responsible for the losses associated with identity theft.

Feel free to contact the consumer reporter in your area to voice your concerns if you feel that a specific company is not acting responsibily in protecting you.

We are presently doing a study with Nipissing University on the time and costs associated with being a victim of identity theft. Would you like to be a part of the study? If so, you can email moira@ebay.com and she will send me the email.

Barry Elliott

[*christmasangel*]

Thank you!

[moira@ebay.com]

*christmasangel*,

You are asked to sign in on the eBay site whenever you are doing something that requires authorization. For example, if you go to sell an item but are already signed in, we want to make sure you have not got up from your computer and someone else has sat down and tried to list. We ask you to reconfirm your password.

I think you are referring to 'pharming' where a criminal reroutes the website to an imposter one and asks you to input your information. I'll come back and talk about this in a bit.

Moira
eBay

[*christmasangel*]

I think I only have one more question. For a number of years now (I live in S. Ont.) we keep getting people coming to the door trying to get us to change our home natural gas provider. The scenario is that they come to the door and pose as being a representative of our natural gas provider and ask to see a copy of one of our bills so that they can confirm we are getting the best rates possible. I always recognize this as being a scam, but what I would like to know is if they are doing this in the neighbourhood and I were to notify the police, would they do anything about it?