eBay scammers at work on security vulnerabilities in IE7/FF

[Rik]

El Reg is reporting the problem this morning.

eBay scammers have been exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers to deliver counterfeit pages that try to dupe people surfing the online auction house to bid on fraudulent listings.

The attacks managed to inject eBay pages with hostile code by exploiting bugs long known to afflict Firefox and IE. While eBay has managed to block the exploit from working on its domains, other websites that accept user-generated content may still be vulnerable to the attacks, web security experts warn.

Firefox security volunteers say they are in the process of patching the vulnerability. For their part, Microsoft officials say the exploits aren't the result of a vulnerability in IE but rather of websites that fail to properly protect against such attacks.

Gird your loins.

[Simon]

It's not even safe to stay in these days! 

[Rik]

I've never felt safe on eBay.

[Sebby]

You just have to be extremely careful with eBay. It's getting increasingly more likely that you'll be scammed.

[Rik]

Bit like life, eh Seb?

[Sebby]

Unfortunately, yes.

[BrianM]

Thanks for that Rik, I don't use Ebay, will pass it on to friends i know who do 

[Rik]

You're like me then, Brian.

[Niall]

I've never felt safe on eBay.

To be fair, it's not as bad as it's been in the past. My mate in work, trades on there. My major concern is Paypal. They don't seem to care if you get scammed or not. Even if you have a legitimate problem that results in the product not arriving for example, they suddenly don't care. I've read and heard a lot of people having problems with Paypal, which is why I've never given them my details after opening an account with them. Still, I got 6p out of it

[Simon]

I've actually been lucky with PayPal, and they did manage to recover funds for a faulty item purchased on eBay, after the seller suddenly became rather elusive.  OK, it was only £15, but it was the principal of the thing. 

[Rik]

I know what you mean. Sometimes, it isn't worth the aggro for anything but the principle.

[Gary]

I avoid ebay and paypal for all the reasons stated above, I to have never felt safe on ebay, I have seen to many friends scammed 

[talos]

I've been with EBay for many years as a buyer and seller, it has changed, not always for the better but I still can sell unwanted items there and buy something I couldn't  get anywhere else. Yes there are scammers, just as there are everywhere, even on the high street (banks etc). If you are the kind of person who would fall for the doorstep tradesman or the letter telling you you have won millions, then steer clear of EBay, you are ripe for the picking,  but if you use common sense, do the research, act securely it becomes a very useful tool for clearing clutter or getting that obsolete spare part. There are may who will knock it, usually the same ones that have never tried it, but they'll tell you they know someone who has

[Rik]

I'm sure it's great for most people, Bob, it just makes me nervous.

[talos]

why?

[Rik]

The idea of giving money to a perfect stranger with no company and no consumer protection behind me.

[talos]

If you have had a bad experience, I can understand, but I've found doing my research into the seller pays dividends, if you feel you cant trust them DONT, there will be another along in a moment.

[Sebby]

I don't think I've ever had a problem with eBay, but I must admit I am more wary now.

[Lance]

I've never had a problem either (I even made my first sale last week with no problems!). I find that checking out the seller in terms of recent feedback is one of the most important things. I also tend to check the recent purchases of the seller too.

[talos]

I've never had a problem either (I even made my first sale last week with no problems!). I find that checking out the seller in terms of recent feedback is one of the most important things. I also tend to check the recent purchases of the seller too.

Another method I use is if you are worried about a seller, ask them a question or ask if you can phone them, the reply is often a good indicator of the character.
If you are buying ALWAYS ALWAYS wait until the item arrives and checked BEFORE you pay

[Niall]

I'm sure it's great for most people, Bob, it just makes me nervous.

Personally I am actually thinking of opening a bank account, specifically for use with ebay (and have been for years really, but I never get around to it) so there are only funds in there for use when I need them. If I did it with Natwest (even though I hate them) it'd be a simple case of accessing my account online and instantly transferring the cash. That way if anything went wrong, no one could get anything other than the few pence that would be in there.

The only reason I'm thinking of it, is because there are a LOT of good guitar pedals on ebay dirt cheap that I want

[talos]

Personally I am actually thinking of opening a bank account, specifically for use with ebay (and have been for years really, but I never get around to it) so there are only funds in there for use when I need them. If I did it with Natwest (even though I hate them) it'd be a simple case of accessing my account online and instantly transferring the cash. That way if anything went wrong, no one could get anything other than the few pence that would be in there.

The only reason I'm thinking of it, is because there are a LOT of good guitar pedals on ebay dirt cheap that I want

That's a very good idea, but people to tend to be wary of instant cash transfers because of having to give bank details.         But if you use your bank account idea in conjunction with the PayPal scheme as do I, you will have two layers of protection and nobody but PayPal needs to know the bank details, its also indispensable if you decide to sell something,    good luck with the bargain hunting and be safe

[Simon]

Bear in mind, though, that having low funds in a bank account won't always stop debits being made.  Most banks will allow small unauthorised overdrafts, and charge you on top for the privelage.  And no, I can never spell priv...

[Rik]