Recently it has been reported that people who unsuccessfully bid on eBay items are receiving fraudulent “Second Chance” emails. Here is what the eBay Security Department says about this:

Always verify Second Chance Offers. Sending fake Second Chance Offers is a common trick used by fraudsters. If you receive an email with a Second Chance Offer for an item you recently bid on, please check your My Messages inbox (located in My eBay) on the eBay site to make sure the offer is authentic. If it appears in My Messages with the title "eBay Second Chance Offer for Item...," it's authentic. If the Second Chance Offer does not appear in My Messages, or appears with a different title, it is not legitimate and should be ignored. Help us fight this, by reporting these fakes to spoof@ebay.com.

Also, these emails sometimes try to entice you into their trap by saying that if you deal directly with them instead of through eBay, you will save money on fees, get a better price, etc. Usually the email address doesn’t match the original one.

Don’t be fooled!

Caveat emptor… let the buyer beware.