***eBay Workshop: Keeping Safe Online, Wednesday, December 15, 2004, 5-6 PM ET***

[carly@ebay.com]

With so many spoof and phishing emails out there, we will spend some time talking about how to recognize and report a spoof/phishing email.

We will also discuss the benefits of the eBay toolbar as a great way to stay safe on the internet. We’ll also show you what the toolbar does to protect you if you click on a link in a phishing email.

The new Security and Resolution Centre is coming to eBay.ca so we will give you a preview of what new information it features. Other topics we will cover are Live Help and how to report a problem to eBay.

HOST: eBay Staff Moira
DATE: Wednesday, December 15, 2004
TIME: 5:00-6:00 PM ET
PLACE: Canada Town Square

Hope you can Join us! Also, if you have specific questions but can't attend, you can leave them here in advance and we will be sure to answer them during the workshop.

[ohwhisht]

Hi Moira

Great idea!

I do not have the ebay toolbar, but I have seen several comments in the past, stating that it causes popups and slower operating times. What can you tell us about this?

I'll try to attend the workshop.

thanks Brenda

[bayvroom]

Gee, Moira . . . now I'll have to take a break from my busy schedule saving people's lives to come in for training . .

shucks . . . well I s'pose even Superman's got to sit in class sometime.
Wiil be watching with x-ray vision

Oh! BTW:

Great Idea!!

[pukmis]

Hmmmmmmmm...Harrison , who ya talkin' to???
Carly really doesn't look like Moira!!!

[jakeeangel]

No but Moira's gonna be the host so....whatca talking about? 😉

[pukmis]

Hmmmmmmmmmm...dang it Jakeeangel , ya got me!!! heehee

[moira@ebay.com]

Online safety is our topic today. Thank you all for joining us. I hope to consolidate a bunch of information for you on this thread and point you towards some groups that can help if you have a problem. First, I thought we should go through some terminology.

Spoofing or Phishing: These are usually emails that a criminal will send out in bulk in an attempt to gather personal information from people. These emails usually feature a brand that most people would be familiar with and many people would have dealings with such as a retailer, bank internet service provider, etc. The email often threatens the recipient that if they do not give their updated information immediately, their account will be frozen or something bad will happen to their account. They use fear to motivate people to click the link and “update” their information. The problem is, the recipient is not going to the site they think they are going to – they are being led to a site the criminals have set up to capture their information.

Sometimes these emails say the person has won a prize, their credit card number was lost, their account is involved in a fraud report, their information is not valid, they need to register for a prize drawing or their account will be frozen, closed or they will miss out on the opportunity.

Personal Information:

• Name
  
• Address
  
• Telephone Number
  
• Credit card number
  
• Bank account number
  
• Pin Number
  
• User name
  
• Password
  
• Social Insurance Number
  
• Social Security Number
  
• Mother's Maiden Name
  

… etc.

[pukmis]

Hi ya Moira...you snuck in early!!!

[moira@ebay.com]

Hackers: people who try to gain access to a computer, network of computers or a program. The definition can vary depending on how you use it. In our case, we use it to mean "One who uses programming skills to gain illegal access to a computer network or file." These are the folks who try and "hack" or guess your password so they can get into your banking site or your eBay or PayPal accounts.

Virus Protection: This is software that is made by a number of companies that provides protection from computer viruses. You can pick up viruses while cruising the internet, from opening an "infected" email or by clicking on a link in an email or on a website. It is important to have up to date virus protection at all times and to run a virus scan at least once a week. You can usually set the virus software to automatically do a virus scan. I set mine up to run every Friday.

[moira@ebay.com]

Lots to post pukmis! Great to see you here!
Moira

[moira@ebay.com]

Firewalls: These are software programs or hardware devices that you install on your computer. They work to keep people out of your computer. Think of them as a kind of receptionist everyone has to go through. If a criminal comes knocking at your computer's door (or port) the firewall decides who can come through and who cannot. You can set up your pc to say "hold all calls" essentially and the bad guys won't get in. If you have a program like Zone Alarm, have a look at how many pings they have blocked on your computer every day. It is unbelievable! These software firewall programs can make your computer a bit slower but they are worth it to keep you safe online!

Spyware Blockers: This is also software but it stops other people, computers or viruses from dropping programs onto your computer that track what you are doing and where you are going. Some spyware is harmless, it is used by some companies to see where else you shop online. Harmless but none of their business, in my opinion! Some spyware is very harmful because it reports keystrokes back to a criminal. This could be every letter you type on your keyboard. These kinds of spyware programs can be very harmful because they remember all the letters of your user ID and passwords that you enter on your online banking site, your eBay and PayPal sites, your online shopping sites and they send the information back to the criminal who can then use your credit card information to buy more goods without your knowledge. If they get your user ID and passwords, they can also go into your accounts and have a look around at what they might want to steal. Sometimes they steal your identity. More on that in a minute.

[moira@ebay.com]

Identity Theft: You've probably heard about this for years. Used to be that criminals would steal your mail from the mailbox or go into the post office and change your mailing address so they could grab your credit card in the mail. They've made a bunch of changes so that doesn't happen very often anymore. When you hear about spoof and phishing emails, the reason the criminals send them is to get your personal information so they can become you and either go on a shopping spree with your credit card or sign up for more credit in your name. Some of these criminals just want to get your information so they can open bogus eBay accounts and try and list a bunch of fraudulent items or steal your existing eBay account and use your good feedback rating to attract buyers for their fraudulent listings. Visit the Phonebusters section of our Security Centre for more information on what to do if you are a victim of Identity Theft.

But there are many things that you can do to make sure you don't fall victim to Identity Theft:

1. USE STRONG PASSWORDS: make your password hard to break. Make it a combination of letters and numbers that no one could guess. Spell the letter 'S' with a '5' instead - it makes your password much harder to break. Have a look at this page for tips: Account Protection. And most importantly, use different passwords for related accounts. For example, have different passwords for your bank, PayPal and eBay accounts. That way, if they get one password, they cannot get into every account. I know some of you are rolling your eyes because you have heard it a million times, but your password is probably easy to break - remember it is a computer program that is guessing at them so it thinks much faster than humans. It can guess 1,000,000 permutations in a day.
   
   
2. LOCK THE DOOR: keep your pc safe from viruses and hackers at all times. Make sure your virus protection is up to date at all times. Use a firewall program or hardware to keep the bad guys out of your computer. If you are going away for a long period of time, unplug the internet connection to your pc.
   
   
3. STAY ALERT ONLINE: When you are asked to enter your credit card online, are you sure you typed in the URL at the beginning of the session and are on the site you want to be on? Do you see the little lock on the page saying it is a secure connection? Can you use Verified by Visa or the MasterCard equivalent to make sure your information is protected? And use the old rule of "if it looks too good to be true, it likely is". A brand new Porche for $1500 from a seller with 0 Feedback? Smells like fish to me. Know thy seller: research their feedback and the comments they have associated with them - are they all from buying, do they have any selling feedback? Do they have any feedback at all? Do they respond to questions you have?
   

[moira@ebay.com]

Stay Safe with the eBay Toolbar
The eBay Toolbar now includes a new feature: Account Guard. This feature enables eBay members to protect themselves by:

• Identifying when they are on eBay or PayPal.
  
• Identifying when they are on a known Spoof web site.
  
• Warning you when you may be entering your eBay password into an unverified site even if it looks like eBay or PayPal.
  
• Enabling them to easily report a potential spoof Web site so that eBay can investigate.
  

Download the toolbar now!

[moira@ebay.com]

The site indicator tells you if you are on an eBay or PayPal site or a known spoof/phishing site

A. Green - When the Account Guard tab is green, you are on a verified eBay or PayPal web site. Note: Make sure that the tab is green on the same browser window that you are using - don't fall for a pop up.

B. Red - When the Account Guard tab is red, you are on a known spoof/phishing Web site.

C. Gray - When the Account Guard tab is gray, you are not on eBay or PayPal (this will show up most of the time)

[moira@ebay.com]

The Account Guard will warn you when you are about to enter your eBay password into a non-eBay site. The Toolbar can detect when you are about to enter your eBay password without monitoring your Internet behaviour.

eBay Toolbar with Account Guard enables users to report suspected spoof sites by clicking on the pull down and selecting 'Report this as a Suspicious Site'. As soon as the report has been verified and we confirm the site is fraudulent, all eBay Toolbar users will benefit from having the most current information automatically uploaded to their toolbar.

Is eBay Toolbar "spyware"?
No, eBay Toolbar is not "spyware". Software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage is "spyware". eBay Toolbar is only downloaded with your consent and does not collect any personal information. The only time eBay Toolbar sends information to eBay about your off-eBay Internet experiences is when you explicitly report potential spoof Web sites to us.

[moira@ebay.com]

The eBay Security Centre is also a great resource for online safety and resourceful links. A new design is coming soon. The biggest change is the "report a problem" and law enforcement case studies. The Report a problem is broken into three main areas of trouble. The Law enforcement case studies are stories about how eBay and Law Enforcement worked together to put the bad guys behind bars.

For a sneak preview of the Security and Resolution Centre, have a look at the eBay.com version. It also has a bunch of new information to help people when they are in trouble.

[moira@ebay.com]

Some more descriptions of terms:

Invalid Item on the eBay sites: This means the item was removed by eBay. It may have been removed because it was against the listing policy rules (a prohibited or banned item) or it could have been removed because it was a potentially fake item. If you see this message when you complete a transaction or when you are bidding on an item, you do not have to proceed with the transaction and if the seller contacts you to do the sale off-eBay you should refuse. If you do the sale off-eBay you are not protected by eBay or PayPal's protection plans.

Western Union Money Gram: Western Union has put a message on the eBay site to warn buyers from making a payment via their service for eBay purchases. The reason: the money has no trace once it is picked up and can be taken out in cash. Their statement can be found here: Western Union.

Safety Tips:
1. Get a good virus protection softare on your computer and install a firewall
2. Download the eBay Toolbar
3. Take the Spoof Tutorial so you can recognize a spoof/phishing email
4. If it looks too good to be true, it might just be
5. Visit the Phonebusters section of the Security Centre for tips on Identity Theft
6. Report Suspicious Behaviour - click here to report it to eBay
7. Check your credit every year - contact the credit bureaus directly to see if there is any unauthorized credit on your credit bureau. In Canada, check with TransUnion and Equifax.

[moira@ebay.com]

More online shopping safety tips:
Safety Tips

1. Learn as much as possible about the product and seller.
Shoppers who are familiar with the merchants from whom they're buying feel the most secure. The Internet offers a platform for retailers to provide detailed information that empowers buyers to research the products and companies they are interested in. Shoppers might also learn about a retailer through its reputation, from previous purchases, from referrals through friends or from reviews and comments left by other shoppers.


2. Understand the retailers' refund and return policies.
Look for and ask about the refund and return policy. Questions to ask include: the required timeframe in which a buyer must contact the retailer and return the item; whether a full refund or a merchandise credit will be offered; and, whether an item that has been opened can be returned. If no refund policy exists, consumers may be able to take advantage of buyer protection programs, if offered by the retailer or the consumer's payment service provider. These protection programs ensure that if there is a problem with a transaction, the consumer's payment will be covered or refunded as a result.


3. Use a secure checkout and payment process.
Many Web sites use a technology called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt any personal and financial information sent over the Internet. To know if the retailer is encrypting information, look for the display of a locked padlock at the bottom of the Internet browser you are using.

When it comes to choosing which method to use for online payments, consumers should take precautions before entering credit card or checking account information at each retailer they visit. By entering this information on several different merchant Web sites, the likelihood of it being compromised increases. A safe and easy-to-use online payment service allows shoppers to enter account information only once, at a highly secure and reputable site that then protects this financial information from intruders.


4. If an offer sounds highly suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is.
As with any purchase, shoppers should read the fine print (or, in some instances, click the links describing the purchase agreement). While Internet retailers frequently offer lower prices than conventional stores, shoppers should be wary of unreasonably low bargain prices or unusually attractive promises.

(Some of this is repetitive, but these are good tips no matter where you are shopping online this holiday season.)

[moira@ebay.com]

Who is Phonebusters and how can they help me?

Phonebusters is a group that takes reports of telemarketing fraud and identity theft over the phone. They also have a counterpart online called Recol.

Phonebusters is run by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, The Canadian Government and the Competition Bureau. They are currently running a campaign about Identity theft called Recognize it. Report it. Stop it. I hope some of you have seen this advertizing before.

[moira@ebay.com]

Never reply to emails that ask for personal information.
Email is a risky way to send your personal information - especially financial or other sensitive information. You can help protect your identity by refusing to give personal information (such as Social Insurance Numbers, credit card numbers and account passwords) via email and by never downloading email attachments that are sent from someone you do not know.

eBay and PayPal will not ask you for personal information in an email. If we need you to update your personal information or your credit card has expired, we will ask you to log into your account and we will message you there. If you haven't updated your credit card number, for example we will ask you to visit my eBay and enter your new credit card information in the Account section. We will not provide a link to that page, but we will give you the steps to get there.

Make sure when there is a link in the email, you are going where you think you are going. Sometimes, the clever criminals make it look like the eBay URL by creating a hyperlink. If you right click on a hyperlink, and look at its properties you will see that it is taking you somewhere else. Try it out below...

www.ebay.ca

Doesn't take you where you thought you were going, does it! But if you right click on the link and look at the properties, you can see where I was really sending you!