Recognising phishing phone calls and emails

Scammers may impersonate well-known companies via email, phone or text message, in the hope that recipients will provide confidential information (including passwords or bank or credit card details) and/or download malicious software.

If a message demands you take immediate action, includes attachments or links, asks you for personal information or promises a deal that is too good to be true, you should be cautious. This may include a request for wire transfers to overseas accounts, the purchase of prepaid cards, or cryptocurrency. Don't click on links that come from people you don't know, and don't respond.

Phishing phone calls

eBay is unlikely to make unannounced calls to you about your account.

If you receive a missed call from someone purporting to be from eBay, do not call the number back.

If you're unsure whether the request was genuine or not, check your eBay Messages - opens in new window or tab as we will have also sent you an email.

Email phishing attempts

A phishing email pretending to be from eBay typically contains a link that takes you to a fake website. There, you'll be asked to sign in, and submit personal and account information.

These emails often include the eBay logo and a fake eBay address in the "From" line.

Here are some typical traits of phishing scams:

• Asking for confidential information
• An urgent or threatening tone that asks you to act quickly
• Unsolicited attachments
• A generic greeting, like "Attention eBay member"
• A web address that looks like eBay, but which may have a typo or extra numbers and letters (like http://signin-ebay.co.uk or http://signin.ebay.co.uk@10.19.32.4)

Phishing websites

Phishing websites are fake websites that are made to look like popular sites such as eBay. They may look like a sign-in page or an account page, but they're designed to steal usernames, passwords, payment details, and other personal information.

You could be taken to one of these websites from a link in an email, text or chat message, a social media post, an online advert, a QR code, or another website or app.

If you’re not sure a website is really eBay, don’t enter any information. Instead, close the page and type 'www.ebay.co.uk' into your browser, or use the official eBay app which you can find in the Apple or Android app stores.

If you've received a request for information from eBay and are in any doubt about providing it, get in touch with us to check whether the request is genuine.

These are some signs that a website isn't an official eBay site:

• The web address includes the word "ebay" but isn't on an official eBay domain. The following are examples of phishing websites: ebay-login.co.uk or ebay-secure.ro.
• The sign-in page asks for information that eBay wouldn't normally request, such as your full card number or PIN, or answers to your security questions.
• The page has small differences from the real eBay site, such as spelling mistakes, different logos, or an unusual layout.

Report a phishing phone call or email 

If you receive a suspicious phone call or email, you should report it to us immediately. Here's how:

Suspicious phone call

1. Tell the caller that you'll call back through official eBay contact channels. If you missed the call, do not call the number back.
2. Email us at spoof@ebay.co.uk with details of what the caller asked for, and the phone number they called from. 

Suspicious email

1. Don't click any links in the email or open any attachments.
2. Forward the message to us as an attachment at spoof@ebay.co.uk.

We'll let you know that we received the email.

Recognising legitimate contacts from eBay

If we need to contact you about your account, you can expect the following:

• We'll never ask you to provide confidential information like your password or credit card details
• We'll only include links for convenience. No link will require you to submit confidential information on the next page
• We won't include attachments. If you receive an unsolicited email with an attachment, don't open it
• We'll never use threatening language
• We'll always send a copy of any important messages to your eBay Messages - opens in new window or tab