I smacked myself on the forehead and said "D'oh" when it happened to me, because it was so obvious a scam and I couldn't believe I didn't see it for what it was.
I was the winning bidder on an Ebay auction, and the seller sent me a link to checkout and pay for my item. Here's where I acted stupid:
-- The page was not secure.
That should have been a huge warning sign for me, inputting credit card information on a non-secure web site. So, if you're paying for something online, make sure the page is secure (it'll be https:// instead of http://).
I then entered all my credit card info, including my security code number, and clicked on "send." I immediately got a 404 page not found error message.
Here's a tip: if you can, get a debit card, and use it for online purchases. You'll only be responsible for the first $50 stolen from the account.
I then proceeded to do something so amazingly stupid that I'm ashamed of myself: I sent the seller another payment for the item via PayPal! So this guy not only had my debit card info, he had a cash payment from PayPal.
Nothing happened for a week. I usually check my checking account balance every week. I was looking over the balance when I noticed a couple of charges for small amounts -- like $1.99 -- to what I discovered were porno sites.
You see, the thief was testing the waters, by making a couple of small charges. I think a lot of people don't notice if their balance is off by a couple of dollars.
Since the thief was successful, he made a $49.95 purchase.
It was at that point that I discovered the strange charges to my account.
I took action immediately. I went to the bank, cancelled the debit card, and then notified the three credit bureaus (you can do this online) that I had been the victim of credit card theft.
I lucked out. I was only out $49.95. But other people who had bid on items by this particular seller were not so lucky, and the thief made off with a few thousand dollars.
Another Ebay tip: check the seller's reputation rating. After I had discovered the fraud I looked at the seller's reputation rating and saw that several people had complained about credit card theft.
I'm very vigilant now.
Also, be careful of e-mail scams. They are very common. You'll get an e-mail from what looks to be a reputable business you deal with (like Ebay, or your credit card company) but the e-mail will say they need to verify your information and will have a form to fill out where you'd enter a password and credit card number. NEVER respond to those e-mails. Companies never send out e-mails asking for passwords.
I've gotten two so far from someone pulling an Ebay scam. I forwarded the e-mails to Ebay, but before doing so, I filled out the form with some...well...colorful responses.
If you ever get a strange e-mail, and it sounds fishy, pay a visit to the Urban Legends Reference Pages at
http://www.snopes.com. They always have info on all the scams that are circulating.