How does the scam work?

Mitch,

Letters like that go out randomly to people that don't even buy or sell on Ebay and who do not have Paypal accounts. The sender is hoping for a reply so he can verify that he sent the email to a working email address. Then the junk mail starts coming and coming.

However, some letters go out asking for updates to a PayPal account and though the attached link seems valid, it isn't. And once the victim updates the information, the scammer has access to CC information amd a checking account number.

All correspondence should go directly from you through eBay and PayPal after you initiate the email.

It's a shame, isn't it that we always have to be on the lookout for scams?

thanks Mona, I get it now; I somehow thought it was related to my recent purchases.

I did get a paypal fake email asking for verification of my account,
and coincidentally it was right around the time I reactivated my dormant account.

yes I agree it's a shame and it's also a fact of life now.

I definitely start to get these when I've been ON eBay. It's been going on for quite some time so eBay & Paypal don't seem to have a handle on it. Don't think it always happens when I've actually made a purchase but I usually do sign on and dump things to my account to watch. I'd love to know what the connection is and how they get my email address, as it is no coincidence.

Some scammers will email a question regarding an item you have for sale.

Not only will the question appear on your ebay page, it will appear on your personal email site as well. They're hoping you respond directly to their email from there rather than sending a response through eBay. If you do this then they have your personal email address.