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***
The
newsletter for
Issue 1102
=================================
The newsletter for eBay and QXL users in the
=================================
This latest
issue is now also available online at
http://www.workwinners.com/newsletter/1102.htm
=================================
In this
issue:-
1. A lesson for yours truly!
2. Quick Tips - missing feedback
- PayPal
UK contact
- previous
issues of the Newsletter
3. Want to know what items are hot?
4. MPOK - SERIOUS WARNING
!!!!
5. Someone's auctioning WHAT?? Unusual items
currently
available.
6. Finally ......
=================================
Inspirational
quote of the day
"Learning
how to stand up is easy. Learning how to stand up after
you've
fallen down, that is tough."
Dican
=================================
Brian
McGregor speaking - you receive the UK Internet Auction
Users
Newsletter because you have bought from me or enquired
about my
auction items on eBay or QXL.
I have no
wish to encourage S-P*A-M, so if you do not want to
receive
this newsletter, the only one dedicated to
sellers,
you can unsubscribe by sending a blank email to
remove@workwinners.com
=================================
1. A lesson for yours truly!
It all
started with an answer to a Question for Seller. It was
November
11th. I had an email from an eBay seller which was in
answer to
my question about their item. Seems fair enough.
Except
the
question they were answering wasn't one I had asked!
Just some
kind of random error I thought, and replied saying
there
must be some confusion, I hadn't asked a question etc. It
was funny
I thought, the email was correctly addressed to me.
Five
minutes later, another answer to Question for Seller arrived
in my
inbox referring to a different auction. Again, I hadn't
asked a
question about this item - and yet the email address was
mine.
I worked it
through in my head. If someone asks the seller a
question
by clicking on that button on the auction page, eBay
sends the
question to the seller with the questioner's email
address
automatically set as the place to reply to.
So, for me
to get answers from asking the seller a question must
mean that
the buyer was using my eBay ID.
This was
getting serious.
The common
thread from the answers to my supposed questions was
the
questioner was trying to purchase things from sellers without
going
through the normal bidding or buying process.
When I
received a third email two hours later giving me an answer
to a
question I hadn't asked, I knew my eBay ID had been cloned.
I emailed
that seller and told them that someone was trying to
defraud
them.
I went into
eBay and changed my password and secret question.
Fortunately,
I got there before the cloner! At least this stopped
them from
using my eBay ID.
However,
just as I was congratulating myself on not suffering too
much
damage, the postman called. On Saturday
15th November, I
received
a letter from Barclaycard. It was from their Fraud
Detection and Aftercare Department. They suspected that my
Barclaycard
may have been used fraudulently, and did I recognise
any of
the five transactions listed?
Needless to
say I didn't. Those five transactions, all made from
the
In
conversation with Barclaycard it transpired my card had been
used on
£2,200 worth of fraudulent transactions in the previous
few days.
Once the cloners had access to my eBay account, they were able to
get hold
of my credit card details. You may not recall doing
this, but
eBay require credit card details when
you set up a
seller
account to assist them in not accepting bogus sellers!
At least I
won't be charged by Barclaycard, as long as I submit a
claim
identifying the fraudulent transactions.
So, what are the
lessons?
Here are
some recommendations which PayPal gave me:
1. Change
passwords and every 30 - 60 days on any web site which
holds
your financial data eg eBay, PayPal,
Nochex, FastPay,
online
bank accounts etc
2. Never
use the same password for different web sites, have a
different
password for eBay, PayPal, your online bank etc.
3. If you
can, avoid using internet based email accounts eg
hotmail,
freeserve, tiscali etc for
transactions which include any
financial
details. eMail is generally
not a secure medium, and
internet
based accounts are less secure than email accounts on a
domain
that only you are set up to access/receive.
eBay
concur with the advice above and, in addition, suggest that
you
regularly check you listings through My eBay to ensure there
are no
spurious auctions or bids that you know nothing about.
Well, I've
bleated on long and hard about how to make your
auction
dealings safe and secure. Now, I've had this experience I
have
taken the all the precautions mentioned. Maybe you might
like to
do the same? What is it they say, "Prevention is better
than
cure"...
=================================
2. Quick Tips - missing feedback
Here's a
useful free tool you can use to find out who hasn't left
you
feedback even though you've left feedback for them.
http://tools.auctionpix.co.uk/feedbacks/
Quick Tips - PayPal
If you've
read my story above about someone cloning my eBay ID,
one of
the side benefits is that it forces you to track down the
right
people to speak to. I never knew that PayPal had a
Customer Service operation. If you have any issues with PayPal,
this is
the number you can call 0870 7307191.
Quick Tips - previous issues of the
Newsletter
As new
people subscribe to the Newsletter, I have been asked how
they can
see previous issues. If you wish to do this, you will
find an
index of the Newsletters at -
http://www.workwinners.com/Newsletter_archive.htm
=================================
3. Want to know what items are hot?
If you're a
seller on eBay, can you imagine how useful it would
be to
know the top ten words which buyers input to search for
items in
a specific category?
Instead of
second guessing, armed with this intelligence you
could
ensure your auction titles ALWAYS featured words which
buyers
actually use to search on in the categories in which you
operate.
If this
information was available, I would say the potential is
quite
staggering.
Well, the
information IS available and you can find out where
here:
=================================
4. MPOK - SERIOUS WARNING
!!!!
There's a
particularly nasty virus being sent to ebay auction
users.
It's sneaky because it comes from another eBay user who
has
pressed the "Ask Seller a Question" button on an auction
page.
This is the
kind of text which you see in an email entitled
"Question
for Seller":
********
Good day, The new auction online at your service at
www.mpok.com. Our auction is developing day by day. We have
millions
users - sellers and buyers. And we would like to invite
you at
our site. We have special anti-fraud system to decrease
frauds
activity. Unlike this auction, you do not have to pay for
selling
goods there. Thank you very much for taking time, Kind
regards
www.mpok.com BEST ONLINE AUCTION ********
If you
receive one of these "questions":
1. DON'T
click on the link to their "website" as it triggers off
a virus
which attempts to infiltrate your PC.
2. Send the
email to eBay at spoof@ebay.com . Use the FORWARD
button to
send the whole email to eBay, don't copy as an
attachment
to a fresh email - ebay won't accept attachments.
3. Get
up-to-date information from other eBay users about this
matter by
looking at the Community Q & A Discussion Board on
eBay.co.uk.
You can go straight to this discussion thread here:
http://forums.ebay.co.uk/thread.jsp?forum=7&thread=100013186&start=11&msRange=40
4. If
you're not sure if your PC is infected, you could run a
free scan
courtesy of Panda Software.
Be warned,
it takes a long time to scan all your files, we're
talking
hours. But you can still use the PC while it is being
scanned.
One way to
speed the scan up is to delete all your temporary
internet
files before you start. You can do this in Internet
Explorer by
going to Tools, Internet Options, and under the
General tab
you will see Temporary Internet files section - click
on Delete
Files.
This is the
address to activate the free virus scan:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm
5. Get some
virus checking software on your PC. In addition to
the well
known commercial offerings, there is an excellent
anti-virus
product called AVG which is free for single PC home
use. You
can read about it and download it from here:
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
You will
see their free edition at the bottom of the menu on the
left.
Sorry to be
the bearer of this bad new, but I hope this is
helpful
and you and your PC are OK.
=================================
5.
Someone's auctioning WHAT????
Nothing
surprises me when it comes to internet auctions. Amuse
yourself
with some of these beauties ...
Just type
the auction number into the Search Box on eBay or QXL
as appropriate.
Well, this
appeals to my sense of humour. Or maybe it's just my
age?
Anyway, I hope you get a laugh here too - eBay 2966715474
If David
Beckham is worth £35 million, how much are you worth?
You could
have bought an ordinary British husband for a bargain
basement
price on eBay here 2966443948. But you've missed your
chance -
the auction's ended
How about
some
auction
is for broken
At least
no-one will worry if it gets broken in transit! You can
see it
here eBay 2361510603
Disclaimer
- I have no association with any of the sellers of the
above
items.
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6. Finally .....
As well as
writing this newsletter, I also write eBooks and
Special Reports, and you can see all of these at my web site:
If you are
changing email addresses soon please put a note
on your
calendar to send a blank email to:
newsletter@workwinners.com
...AFTER
you get your new email address.
I don't
want to lose touch with you!
If a friend
sent you this newsletter, you need to send a
blank
email to:
newsletter@workwinners.com
That way
you can get your own copy next time!
Regards
Brian
McGregor
Editor -
"
====================
A note about S-P*A-M
====================
"UK
Internet Auction Users Newsletter" is published whenever
there is
useful information to share.
In each
issue you'll get ideas on how to make the most of
buying
and selling on eBay and QXL auction sites from a
perspective.
If you
would like to unsubscribe please use the link at the
bottom of
this email.
Finally, be
assured that your email address will NEVER be
shared or
sold - EVER!
I can't
stand spam, and don't want to send any. Thank you
for
joining and staying on this mailing list.
=====================
Copyright Information
=====================
Copyright ©
2003 Brian McGregor. All rights reserved.
No part of
this newsletter may be copied or published
without
prior permission, but please feel free to forward
this to
your friends and colleagues as long as you keep it
in its
entirety. Brian McGregor, as publisher, disclaims any
liability
for the use of any information contained herein.
We further
claim no responsibility for the legality or
accuracy
of any advertisements or articles. It is the
readers
responsibility to practice due diligence in any
product
or service acquired based on information contained
in this
newsletter.
To
unsubscribe, send a blank email to remove@workwinners.com
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