eBay works hard to provide you with an enjoyable and safe environment to buy and sell. We take lots of steps to help keep your account from being taken over, and so can you.

Here are some steps you can take to protect your eBay account:

• Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.

• Beware of spoof email and Web sites requesting sensitive information.

• Install and update online protection software.

• Monitor your account for suspicious activity.

Here are some additional steps eBay is taking to protect your account:

• Identity confirmation

Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully

• Your user ID and password give you access to your eBay account. Your user ID is the nickname that identifies you on eBay. Your password is the key to your account. You need to choose both a user ID and a password that are not related to your email address or any of your other online accounts. Using the same sign-in information for several online accounts means that if someone can access one of your accounts, they can access all of your other accounts as well. Creating a unique user ID also reduces the amount of unwelcome email you might get from other eBay members.

• If your user ID is the same, or similar to your email address, you should change your user ID. eBay users can contact you after you have changed your user ID by using the "Contact an eBay Member" feature.

• Review Creating and Protecting Your Password for tips on how to select a secure password.
  

  Note: You should change your eBay password every 30 to 60 days.

• In addition to changing your password regularly, you also need to change the secret question and answer associated with your eBay account. Read tips on selecting an effective secret question.

Beware of spoof email and Web sites requesting sensitive information

• A major threat to the security of your eBay account is fake email and associated Web sites, called spoof email and spoof Web sites. You might also see these called phish email and phish Web sites. Both are used to get your personal and account information.

• lf you get an e-mail that looks like it's from eBay and mentions a problem with your account or requests personal information, and it's not in My Messages in My eBay, it is a fake email. Forward suspicious e-mails to spoof@ebay.com

• eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit or debit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If eBay requests information, we always direct you back to the eBay site.

• Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognising Spoof (Fake) eBay Web sites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.

Install and update online protection software

• Anti-virus software: Computer viruses can log and record keystrokes. Emails can have viruses that can find and send information from your files. Install the latest version of anti-virus software and use it regularly to scan your computer.

• Spyware protection: Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage. By keeping your spyware protection up to date, you can make sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.

• Internet firewalls : Firewalls are hardware or software that control the flow of information to and from your computer. Using a firewall helps prevent unauthorised parties from gaining access to sensitive information stored on your computer. It is especially important to use a firewall if you have a high-speed connection that is always connected to the Internet.

Monitor your account for suspicious activity

• Periodically check your My eBay account and preferences to ensure that no one has taken over or tampered with your account. It's a good idea to check all your online accounts, not just your eBay account.

• If you see anything out of the ordinary with your eBay account, report it to eBay immediately and act quickly to secure your eBay account and protect yourself from identity theft.

Know how eBay helps protect your account through identity confirmation

Keeping your personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We continuously use a variety of technologies and techniques designed to keep anyone from getting your information without your permission. As part of this program, eBay will attempt to recognise trusted members automatically by verifying the computers they use. If an attempt is made to sell an item with your account from an unrecognised computer, we will require additional confirmation to protect your account from unauthorised access.

If an account owner is using a new computer ‑ for example, at the office or at a friend’s house ‑ that owner will have to confirm his or her identity before they can sell on the site.

To help identity confirmation work quickly for you, we recommend that you:

• Ensure that your personal information is current. We might need to confirm the information in your account, such as your telephone number or address. We highly recommend that you provide us with a secondary phone number.

• Review your secret question. Make sure the secret question and answer you have on file are easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.