OT How does this EBay scam work?

satootoko

I just received a legitimate-appearing email, supposedly from another EBayer, in the format for asking a question. I knew it was fake, since it didn't appear in My Messages, and EBay's safe harbor confirmed it.

My question is, what was the purpose? The text was:

<< <i>Why dont you answer to my emails!!! If you dont Respond Now I will contact ebay safeharbor and report you ! Lett me know, I am not a fool ! Thank you ! ! >>

The ID shown was a Power Seller with a positive feedback over fifteen thousand, but right-clicking on the name or the feedback number showed the address for a comletely different ID. That one only has several hundred feedbacks, and isn't a Power Seller.

Also a search on the ID shown brought up a match - a -1 feedback rating with the only entry being a negative for a non-paying bidder alert.

It didn't ask for any personal information, so how would stefanie4218 benfit from my response, if I had been gullible enough to make one?

wybrit

Probably not a scam but more of an attempt to damage the reputation of an ebay member in good standing. Pretty pathetic.

CIVITAS

Hard to say without seeing the email, but likely the yellow "Reply Now" button would have taken you to a fishing site to collect your info when you "logged in" to respond to the message. That's the case on the three or four of those that I get per month.

mojoman

I agree , if you hit the YELLOW BUTTON change everything ,It is a common scam ,people sign it there they get locked out of there own account( it happened to me) but fast acting ebay support saved the day mojoman

danglen

Yes, the Yellow Button on the email is the key to this scam. When you hit REPLY, it will ask you for your eBay ID and Password. Once you enter it, you're cooked like a Christmas Goose

satootoko

Aha - perhaps the yellow button is the answer, but I guarantee that I will never know for sure.

WillieBoyd2

All of these type of emails are scams.

I just delete them, don't look at the fake "feedback", etc.