I just wanted to share with everyone how insidious phising experts can be. I was sent an email that appeared to come from Google.....looked just like it. It said that I needed to log into my account in order to keep my ads running. I clicked the link in the email and thought I did the right thing. The next thing I know I had $10000 in charges on my account with new key words set up. After much searching I was able to find a phone number for Google and they have been taking care of it. Supposedly it has been handled, but I received another email today with a link in it and I have contacted them again to make sure that it was legit. I am not responsible for the $10000 but I have not been able to run ads for 2 weeks! Just wanted to warn everyone to BE CARERFUL. These people are SNEAKY!

Sorry to hear about that. There is so much phishing on ebay and paypal that I only check the messages directly on ebay or be sure to look for my first and last name on paypal emails. I have heard so many stories about phishing fraud that I tend to exercise a lot of caution (ok paranoia) when logging into certain sites. You're a right though some of those people are very ingenious. Hope all your hassles get resolved.

I'm very paranoid as well when logging into certain sites. For PayPal, I only log in using a link from the original email I received when I first registered there. It's inconvenient to always go searching for that link, but it's the best way I know of to be sure (and I also know what to look for in the URL address now). Same with eBay. Never ever click a link within an email to these kinds of sites, even if it looks legit. Close the email, and go in through your best-known-safe link.

Another rule of thumb is to always close your browser window after logging out of sites like eBay, PayPal and banking sites. I go so far as to close down all browser windows and open a new one BEFORE I log in. I'm very paranoid.

HFG, your story is so scary, but it's so valuable to share it with us here. IMO, you just can't be too careful when logging into sites that involve any kind of financial dealings.

Rather than clicking on ANY link in your email, you need to go directly to the address line of your browser window and type in the web address. That's the safest way to access these accounts.

So sorry to hear about your troubles - man they are fast!! I'm also amazed you found a phone number for Google; I remember looking for one and never finding it! Keep it handy for the future!

K

HFG, that is scary. Thanks for the tips, JJ and K.

Hotflashgal, that's pretty scary.

I, too, won't click on the links in those emails.

Wow! Sorry for your hassles, HFG!
Can we ever be cautious enough? Like with all things, Technology and it's efficiencies also make us vulnerable. So, it pays to be doubly cautious.
Thank God you're not liable for the $$$.

I use Mozilla Firefox as my primary web-browser, and Mozilla Thunderbird for my email client (my service provider email account). When I get an email that looks suspicious, I can RIGHT click on any link in the body of the email and it'll give me the option to report the email as spam. I got a weird email, just now, referencing Google. Instead of marking as spam and deleting, I decided to report it. This time, I was presented with a Google page (a first), which provided me with some links. This was one of them:

APWG Consumer Recs - HOW TO AVOID PHISHING SCAMS
~

Whoa! That's a bummer - I never heard of this before, but thanks to you I am on the lookout! Thanks for sharing.