Shill Bidding

[Bird Legs]

I have just received an e-mail, supposedly from eBay.inc headed: SB Notice - Shill Bidding - you have changed your e-mail address. Click here if you did not do so.

Due to the bad grammar, I was instantly suspicious and did not click on the link and forwarded the message to eBay spoof dept.

But what is `Shill Bidding` and was I right to think this is a con.

[heathfield]

An email genuinely from eBay will always be headed with your real name. If not, you can bet your boots it's a spoof.
Shill bidding is where a seller bids on their own item (under a different ID) to inflate the price.

[Bird Legs]

Many thanks. As always it was headed up "ACCOUNT SUSPENSION" which would have panicked many people. Indeed, although I was immediately on guard and did not repond to the link given, I did not have the sense to go to `My Messages` on my eBay account straight away when I should have realised that as it was not repeated on there it was an attempted con.

[heathfield]

Be warned, I've had spoof emails that have also appeared in 'My Messages' , so just because they're there doesn't guarantee their validity.

[Bird Legs]

Thanks for that tip, Heathfield. Obviously, these spoof messages are given a sense of urgency but I am more inclined now to treat all messages as fake unless proved otherwise. i.e. Will report all to eBay spoof and await confirmation before doing anything.