(1) If there is less than 24 hours left, and the current price is dirt cheap, watch out!  (Recent tactic: Some started using 3 day listings). 

(2) If there is an E-Mail address on the page, or a link to an email, or web email form, beware!

(3) If it says something along the lines of, "E-mail First before bidding," or you get a strange foreign feeling (in broken English with typos) that they are BEGGING you to E-mail them outside of eBay, don't do it!

If all 3 of these things appear, it's certainly a SCAM!

* Beware:  These thieves try to persuade you to use their own email link, instead of using the legit eBay email link.  Only use the legit eBay email link!!!  Because these are stolen accounts, these thieves don't want the real account owners to receive any emails.  Also, they pretend that there is a "Buy it now" option at an impossibly low price.

* Tip: If you ever wish to use a "Buy it now" option on eBay, Only use the legit eBay "Buy it now" link!!!  (Assuming the seller is legit).

* Remember: The reason why these thieves don't want you to use the legit "Buy it now" link (or allow the auction to finish), is because they were only able to hijack the owner's eBay account, and PayPal accounts have a different user name and password.

I almost fell for this scam while shopping for a Roland TD20, until I contacted the seller using the legit eBay link.   Here is what they wrote back:

Someone has been using my account to sell items., and I have reported them and that's why you can't see those items anymore!!  Last night I had about 75 people email me about items, and I had no idea what he was talking about, so I reported them to security.   Sorry for the trouble, but I have never sold anything on eBay.  I'm glad you did not get ripped off!!

*Thieves are answering mail when you use the legit email link!
When I attempted to alert the owner about their hijacked account, the crook intercepted my message and wrote me back instead:
"dear sir, i am currently having some problems seeing your message in my ebay, os please contact me at [redacted email address] i have a buy it now, so i offer major discount."


A vote for this guide is a vote to stamp out fraud!  Let eBay know you care!