Netflix Case

Managing in the Digital World: eBay Under Attack

You or someone you know has probably seen the phishing line. It comes in the form of an e-mail message from eBay on “stationery” that is an exact replica of the design eBay uses. The salutation says something like, “Dear eBay account holder.” That’s the first clue that the message did, in fact, not originate with eBay. (eBay always addresses account holders by their eBay user ID.) The message goes on to say that your eBay account will be canceled unless you send in some missing information, including credit card numbers and passwords. The scammer provides a link to a fake eBay site where you are asked to fill in the personal information. Don’t do it. It’s not from eBay; it’s from a scam artist hoping to get personal information that will allow him or her to steal from you. The scam is called “phishing,” and it has bedeviled eBay and its account holders for too long. Since approximately 100 million people in 26 countries have eBay accounts, even a few responses to a phishing scam can be extremely profitable for crooks. In 2006, for example, six phishing scammers stole £200,000 (approximately $372,000) from unsuspecting eBay users in London. The gang sent e-mails identifying themselves as eBay management and, as in the tactics described previously, needed the eBay account holders to visit the eBay Web site to provide missing information. The scammers provided links that closely mimicked eBay’s site. When the users signed on to the fraudulent site, the thieves stole personal information. The scammers then assumed the identities of the legitimate users and sold nonexisting products such as Rolexes and laptops. The thieves disappeared when the money arrived, and “winners” of the phony auctions were also losers. eBay repeatedly warns users not to respond to such e-mail since the company has an internal messaging system to eliminate the need for sending most e-mail to its registered users. Still the scam continues. A...