[Bunno Smurf]

I have received about 5 emails saying items I am watching have been relisted. These emails look exactly like the watch notices from ebay and even included our name (which makes me think it must originate from someone who bought something from us at one stage).

eBay Watched Item Has Been Relisted: Vintage Humphrey B Bear hard plastic squeaky Toy 18cm (280016200348)

The only reason I thought it was suspicious was that I didn't have this item being watched. Subsequent emails were a little smarter though as they sent smurf related relistings. So I am thinking they checked out what we buy.

It looks like this-

-----------------------------------------------------------------
eBay sent this message to OUR NAME (ebayid).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay.
Learn more at http:// (link deleted)
-----------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Good news! Your watched item has been relisted. Bid Now!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dear
One of your watched items has been relisted. Don't let it get away again. Bid Now!

I took out our name and the link but the only difference I could see was after the Dear bit it is blank even though it had our name at the top. Has anyone else had one of these dodgy emails??? I checked in Myebay Messages and the message is not there so it doesn't orginate from ebay and is definitely a dodgy one.

[eggie smurf]

Linda,
Yup I received a couple last week and deleted them without opening, knowing I wasn't watching whatever it was in there....now I just got another this evening:

Good news! Your watched item has been relisted. Bid Now!

Dear _________,

One of your watched items has been relisted. Don't let it get away again. Bid Now!

Ewok Village Kenner 1983 New in Orig Box
Current price: $9.95
End date: Sunday, Aug 20, 2006 17:00:00 PDT
View item | Go to My eBay | View all watched items

Don't let it get away


Click to view item and bid or Buy It Now


More from this seller's Store



Smurf on a Raft Bath-Tub Toy New in Orig Package 1983
$6.50
Smurf Wind Up Work Pals Wheelbarrow New Orig Pkg 1982
$9.95

Smurf Wind Up Play Pals Set of 3 New in Orig Pkg 1982
$9.95
Smurf Cupid Pen Set New in Orig Pkg 1982
$8.50

Visit seller's Store

Very interesting - did you forward yours to spoof@ebay.com? I will do that now to see what's going on. Thanks for the heads up!!

[Smurfysmurf]

I have received a few, too the last couple of weeks and always wondered what is going on.... I didn't think of scams though, I wish I had so I could have forwarded them.
Luckily, I didn't sign into my account on those e-mails..
Mine were for smurfs or unrelated items but they all looked like they are for auctions I would have no interest in, so I deleted them. I am sure I will be getting more of these and will forward them on.
thanks Linda for brining this up and warning the rest of us.

[Syd Smurf]

Yep I received one last week as well...it had me totally confused and I ended up just deleting it as I couldn't figure out what they were on about.

Good to know it was a scam as I'm not always the sharpest tool in the mornings.....nonetheless a tool or the same.

Dyar

[Bunno Smurf]

Hi Stace,

Yeah I always forward dodgy stuff to ebay but I send mine to spoof@ebay.com.au. The only response I have had so far from them is the automated response they send out. I usually get a reply within a day so I will let you know that they say.

Here's the latest two I got:

Dear
One of your watched items has been relisted. Don't let it get away again. Bid or Buy It Now!
=================================================================
Don't let it get away! BID NOW

=================================================================

Item Name: Vintage Collectible 1981 Push & Spin SMURF Toy
Current price: $0.99
End date: Thursday, 17 Aug, 2006 09:14:51 AEST
Buy It Now for only: $5.00

Dear
One of your watched items has been relisted. Don't let it get away again. Bid Now!
=================================================================
Don't let it get away! BID NOW

=================================================================

Item Name: 3 Schlumpf Gl?ser
Current price: EUR 1,99
End date: Tuesday, 15 Aug, 2006 21:06:41 AEST

Its quite scary that they are smurf stuff. I usually ignore the watchnotice messages anyway. I was only really alerted to it cos the Humphrey bear thing was strange and not a thing Phil or I would bid on let alone watch!

[eggie smurf]

Linda, I got the automated reply back from ebay too - so we'll see it ours say the same thing

[Rachel]

Thanks for the warnings guys. I am not sure if we have had one or not as I would have probably deleted it without think. I will at least now know what to look out for.

[steveparkes]

I've had one of those recently too..it said one of my watched items had been re-listed and to re-bid. I looked at the item and it was A BATMAN LAMP!!!!!!!


YEAH, RIGHT!!!

[Smurfysmurf]

I looked a bit closer at one of mine that I had received before I forwarded it to ebay.... The item I supposedly had watched was for some toy but not smurfs. however, when I checked the seller's other items, there is a big smurf lot listed right now by that seller.
I wonder if we should check and see if they all come from the same seller . If they are not, we could check if the sellers we get those notifications from have smurfs listed on ebay right now.

[Bunno Smurf]

Ok I finally got a response from ebay and its just their standard response:

Hello,

Thank you for writing to eBay. My name is Stella and I appreciate the
chance to assist you with your concerns regarding the suspicious email
you received about an eBay Watched Item Has Been Relisted.

The email you reported was not sent by eBay. Please be assured that we
have reported this email to the appropriate authorities.

Emails such as this, commonly referred to as 'spoof' or 'phishing'
messages, are sent in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or
financial information from the recipients. blah blah etc etc

Ok the blah blah wasn't in it but it goes on and on and on.....


So it definitely is a spoof email anyway.

[XoioX2000]

Well done for spotting this Linda. And thanks for pointing it out.

They are getting smarter with these phising emails, that's for sure. They are no longer mass emails, they are now targetting specific people.

Always make sure you check out the address in status bar (bottom of the window) when you "hover" over a link in an email to verify that the link is really what it claims it is.

For example the link below:
http://www.ebay.com

It says eBay, but it actually sends you to google. But you can see in the status bar the real address.

Just make it a rule that you should never follow a link from an email to a website where you have to enter your personal details.

Now that sounds really annoying because it means that you cannot use any of the ebay emails that you receive from eBay (including serach results and so on).

Well there is a way round: if you open an IE window and log in to eBay as you normally would: Leave that window open in the background and then go into your emails. If you then click on a link from within an email to an eBay page, then you will go in that new page as already logged in: No need to put your details back in: Definite proof that it is a genuine page.

If the page is asking you for your details, it does not necessary mean it is not an ebay page but that you may usually log into in, let's say eBay UK and you are looking at a page on eBay USA or eBay Germany: In that case it does not always log you in automatically.

The best option at that point is to copy and paste the item number into the search area of the page you are already logged in and open the page from there.

I'll stop there coz I'm not sure if what I have written is easy to follow... Let me know if you want more tips to avoid following links from emails or other places...

Cheers,

David [/url]

[Smurfysmurf]

thanks, David for the tips ... I actually think you are one of the few computer experts who explains it very nicely so that "normal" people can follow..... I will have to remember the trick with the status bar.

ebay also always warns you that their e-mails will be sent to your personal e-mail box AND to your message box in MyEbay....



This way you don't have to open them from your email box but can do so from your MyEbay box

[XoioX2000]

thanks, David for the tips ... I actually think you are one of the few computer experts who explains it very nicely so that "normal" people can follow..... I will have to remember the trick with the status bar.

ebay also always warns you that their e-mails will be sent to your personal e-mail box AND to your message box in MyEbay....



This way you don't have to open them from your email box but can do so from your MyEbay box

Very good point! I forgot about that.
Thanks for the nice word!!! Careful I blush easily (Green to pink mostly!)

[eggie smurf]

I agree David, you always make your safe smurfing posts very understandable