Ebay Fake Transaction Scam

It will be concerning to receive such an official-looking confirmation e-mail from ebay telling you that a purchase has been made of an expensive apple watch to be shipped to an address you have never heard of most probably far from where you live. What is going on?

The red-flag is the sender e-mail address in this case srtggs63453@gmail.com, an address ebay clearly would not use. No transaction has been made, the objective of the e-mail is to panic you into telephoning the number given, in this case +44 20 3103 6849. This has the appearance of being a London (UK) telephone number but it could be operated by someone anywhere in the world.

Telephone number lookup service Who Called Me says the number is associated with scams.

If someone falls for the scam and telephones the number then the scammers pretending to be ebay employees will scam you whilst pretending to refund the charges that have been taken from your paypal account.

You will also notice if you look at the e-mail closely that the text in purple which on a genuine ebay e-mail would hyperlink to the seller, ask a question and the purchased item in this e-mail are not linked to anything.

Recommendation:

By all means check your paypal account for any recent transactions using the standard way of accessing your account but there wont be any transactions.

You might get these e-mails when you don't either have an ebay or paypal account (yes there are some people who don't). The scammers have gone to quite a bit of trouble creating such an email and some people will fall for the scam if they don't just pause and think before they telephone the number provided (or click on a link).

Just delete the e-mail.

Michael Fowler

Other articles by Michael Fowler:

IMF Compensation Scam - Michael Fowler
If the International Monetary Fund contact you offering you compensation for being scammed then it is itself a scam. The IMF does not contact people in this way and their officials do not email using Gmail accounts...   more >>

Fake Beneficiary Scam - Michael Fowler
Pretend to be the next of kin of a deceased corrupt political figure and a fortune awaits you...   more >>

Terminally Ill Benefactor Scam - Michael Fowler
I am Agnes Schulze, a Munich, Germany resident, and a widow. At 51 years old, I have dedicated my life to humanitarian efforts. Regrettably, I am currently battling breast cancer, and my health is declining rapidly...   more >>

Cheap Gold Scam - Michael Fowler
Everyone loves a bargain and in uncertain times Gold is said to be a good place to put your money. So when you receive an unexpected e-mail offering Gold below current market prices it might be worth looking into. But be wary it could be a scam...   more >>