'I received an email from eBay, or at least it looked like it was from an official eBay address'
"The lines between genuine retailers and scammers are becoming blurred by the availability of AI."
Black Friday is almost here and the scammers are out of the traps.
I received an email from eBay, or at least it looked like it was from an official eBay address, saying I had set up an account - "You've added a new trusted device" - but the email was mainly written in French and the number associated with the account was in France.
There's one problem: I don't have an eBay account associated with that particular email address, nor did I set one up. I tried to verify my identity through eBay using that email address so I could change the cellphone number on the account and delete it, but I was unsuccessful.
The email said: "If this was you, you're all set! If this wasn't you, please change your password." And there was a link. Rule No. 1: Don't click on the link. That's just good practice, whether it's a legitimate email from eBay or not. I didn't know, and I didn't want to find out.
Every scam, if this was a scam, is an everyday scam, it's just tailored for various holidays and occasions.
Rule No. 2: Contact directly the company from which you received the suspicious email. In this case, eBay provides an email spoof@ebay.com to report suspicious emails. My first thought was: "Is this a Black Friday scam?" Or, "Is this an everyday scam?"
Rule No. 3: Every scam - if this was a scam - is an everyday scam, it's just tailored for various holidays and occasions. Slight variations can be enough to put you off the scent because they distract you for a few moments, which is all it takes to achieve their aim.
eBay did not like the new account. After multiple attempts to contact the company, I received the following email (translated from French): "We are writing to inform you that your eBay account has been permanently suspended due to activity that we believe put the eBay community at risk."
There were other possibilities, of course. That somebody "accidentally" set up an email account with my email address, mistyping my name. But that was highly unlikely in this situation, especially given that the cellphone originates in a different country.
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Always assume it's a scam
Rule No. 4: Always assume it's a scam until independently verified. In this case, if it's not a phishing scam with malware, it could be a person using this "official" email address to buy and/or sell fake products. If that's the case, brace for emails from disgruntled customers.
The more you share about scams and/or attempted scams, the more people will be aware of them. Unfortunately, people who fall for scams feel foolish and cheated, and other people are not always understanding (until it happens to them).
And Rule No. 5: Scammers surge during the holiday season when more people are online shopping. Fake websites pop up that may resemble trusted brands, and hundreds of millions of phishing emails are sent out to unsuspecting, sometimes stressed, consumers.
Always assume it's a scam, until independently verified. Scammers surge during the holiday season.
According to the annual Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report, 31% of adults in the U.S. said they have been targeted by a holiday-shopping scam, and more than 50% of those who were targeted acknowledged that they fell victim to one.
"Scammers thrive on pressure, distraction, and emotional decision-making, and the holiday season delivers all three in spades," said Leyla Bilge, director of scam research at Norton, which provides antivirus and anti-malware software.
Even the time of day - late at night or first thing in the morning - can play a part. "They're counting on you to be busy, stressed, and in a rush," she added. "The moment you let your guard down, they're ready. And with the sophistication of scams nowadays, even if your guard is up, they're ready."
The lines between genuine retailers and scammers are blurred because of artificial intelligence. More online retailers are using AI and so are scammers, the Norton report added; in fact, over 60% of shoppers worried about falling for an AI-generated shopping scam.
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Curiosity and truth bias
The eBay account set up with my email address was attempting to sell a vintage ceramic cat. It was removed from the site. I wonder who would go to such trouble to pretend to sell such a random item. But that may be the point. It's so bizarre and specific, it seems true.
Speaking on the American Psychological Association podcast, Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois who heads the Visual Cognition Laboratory, said one of the reasons we're vulnerable to scams is "truth bias."
"That's sort of a precondition for being taken in by any kind of scam or fraud because if you believed everything you saw was false or questionable or misleading, then you wouldn't really act on those offers and those promises and those sales pitches," he said.
Curiosity, a trait that is usually considered a strength, is another weakness that scammers exploit.
"And truth bias is important for us to have because if we didn't tend to accept what other people said, we'd never be able to make plans with them, have a conversation with them, or do anything really, other than be skeptical all the time," he added.
"Habit of focus" is another weakness as we're browsing for bargains and gifts during Black Friday and Thanksgiving, he said. "One of the main ways to avoid being deceived is to think about information that people aren't showing you or information that's missing."
In the case of the eBay seller, whether it was a fake account or a phishing scam, I'll never know. Curiosity, a trait that is usually considered a strength is another weakness that scammers exploit, whether it's a link to click, or a "wrong" text that sparks a conversation with a stranger.
I was not curious enough to click the link. I was curious enough to email eBay and report the oddity. Perhaps the scammer was banking that this was an old email that no one would check. I must confess this, though: I keep trying to visualize that vintage ceramic cat.
You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com, and follow Quentin Fottrell on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Related: I fell victim to the 'easiest banking scam in the world,' and $20,000 was stolen from my account. How could I have been such a fool?
The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.
More columns from Quentin Fottrell:
'I feel shaken': A man offered to powerwash my patio for $50. He would not take no for an answer.
'This scam stuff is going to get worse': A man approached me in my car - he had a crazy story
'I've yelled, screamed and cried': My mother gave $400K to online scammers. She still gives them Apple gift cards. What can I do?
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-Quentin Fottrell
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