Anyone notice new security measures on eBay???

Rampage

Today, when placing a bid, or leaving feedback, I am asked to input a 4 digit code that appears on the screen as well as my password. Anyone else have that happen? Why would they be doing that?

ConstellatioCollector

Never happened to me before but, be aware there are people trying to get your credit card number by sending a message telling you to update you profile on ebay!

kranky

It didn't do that to me just now when placing a bid, but is the 4-digit code like a picture (instead of text) and the numbers are slightly distorted?

If so, it could be something I've seen done on other sites to prevent programs from "operating" the web site. They show a picture with a word or some numbers, but the characters in the picture are a little distorted. While a human can read them easily, computer programs can't.

Rampage

Constell.....

I never reply to those emails that want personal information.

Kranky.

The numbers are a little distorted, but not majorly.

BigD5

Haven't seen that yet.

MadMarty

I had that happen about a month ago also. Just put in the number and went along my merry way!

kranky

If that's what ebay is doing (I don't know if they are or not), that could squash third-party programs like esnipe which are designed to interact with the ebay system.

bizzarri

I think such measures like that are designed to squash 3rd. party programs that do not used the published API for eBay, and thus do not pay eBay a royalty on such things. eBay makes money on such things only when they do the right thing, not try to come in as a human being and fill keyboard buffers or the like. The idea is that only a human being would be able to easily type in the number.

I've seen it elsewhere for other situations.

Bigern

As Kranky said it may be something similar to "ticketmaster's" software. To prevent computers from dialing into their server and ordering "Hot" tickets online they encrypt a word or set of numbers on the screen this prevents software from going in and ordering tickets on-line whether by legal or illegal means. Could this be EBAY's answer to "snipers"? I dont know of a benefit to EBAY if this is the case though.

Askari

Probably. I've run into this once recently. For several accesses in one day, the blurred numbers came up. I suspect it's a random thing, checking a particular active user and seeing if it's a computer dialup.

copperhead

No problems here!!!