Here's the follow-up from eBay:
From: eBay Customer Support [mailto: snipped-for-privacy@ebay.com] Sent: 01 September 2003 22:55 To: Dom Bradshaw Subject: your recent report to eBay's Trust and Safety
Hello,
Thank you for contacting eBay's Trust and Safety Department about email solicitations that are falsely made to appear to have come from eBay. These emails, commonly referred to as "spoof" messages, are sent in an attempt to collect sensitive personal information from recipients who reply to the message or click on a link to a Web page requesting this information.
The email you reported did not originate from, nor is it endorsed by, eBay. We are very concerned about this problem and are working diligently to address the situation. We have investigated the source of this email and have taken appropriate action. You may rest assured that your account standing has not changed and that your listings have not been affected.
We advise you to be very cautious of email messages that ask you to submit information such as your credit card number or your email password. eBay will never ask you for sensitive personal information such as passwords, bank account or credit card numbers, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), or Social Security numbers in an email itself. If you ever need to provide information to eBay please open a new Web browser, type
formatting link
and click on the "site map" link located at the top the page to access the eBay page you need.
If you have any doubt about whether an email message is from eBay, please forward it immediately to snipped-for-privacy@ebay.com and do not respond to it or click on any of the links in the email message. Please do not change the subject line or forward the email as an attachment.
If you entered personal information such as your password, social security number or credit card numbers into a Website based on a request from a spoofed email, you need to take immediate action to protect your identity. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself.
To get to the "Protecting Your Identity" Help page from the eBay site, please click on the "help" link located at the top of most eBay pages and select the following topics when the "eBay Help Center" window appears:
Safe Trading > If Something Goes Wrong > Identity Theft
We encourage you to review additional information about protecting your identity found in the eBay Help system. Please click on the "help" link located at the top of most eBay pages and select the following topics when the "eBay Help Center" window appears:
Safe Trading > If Something Goes Wrong& > Account Theft > Account Protection
Once again, thank you for alerting us to the spoof email you received. Your vigilance helps us ensure that eBay remains a safe and vibrant online marketplace. Regards,
Ian eBay SafeHarbor Investigations Team