posted on June 9, 2003 06:19:39 PM new
I received this e-mail. It says it is from ebay, but none of the headers seem to back it up. Opinions?
Dear barparts,
In a continuing effort to provide our users the best possible online trading experience, eBay randomly selects registered users like you to participate in site evaluations. Member feedback helps us better understand the types of services and features that enhance the Community’s use of eBay.
We hope that you will participate in a new site evaluation (instructions below) and provide your valuable feedback. The entire evaluation process should take 20-30 minutes. If your results reflect a good faith effort to review the site, attempt the tasks and respond to the questions asked, we will reward you with a $10 SuperCertificate® redeemable at GiftCertificates.com™. A SuperCertificate from GiftCertificates.com lets you choose original gift certificates from hundreds of your favorite stores, restaurants, theaters and more.
To participate and be eligible for the SuperCertificate, please complete the site evaluation as soon as possible. Please note that there are a limited number of panelist slots, which will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis -- so please take the evaluation soon.
eBay is working with Vividence Corporation to conduct this study among its members. In order to participate, you will need to download a small tool called the Vividence Connector, which eBay has approved for the purposes of this evaluation. Please note the system requirements and the estimated download times based on connection speed in the Vividence FAQs section below.
2) Click on Pottery & Glass on the left hand side of the page.
3) Once you are on the Pottery & Glass page, look in the upper right hand corner for a link called “Evaluation: Tell us what you think – Help us evaluate the Item Specifics in Pottery & Glass” and click on it.
4) Follow the instructions to begin the evaluation.
5) When prompted, please be sure to use the following evaluation code: PRCH266
If you have any specific technical questions about this Vividence evaluation, please contact Vividence Panel Support at: [email protected]. (Please do not reply to the address in the from line of this e-mail.)
If you need help with anything on eBay, please proceed to www.ebay.com and click on Help in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
As always, we appreciate your contributions to the eBay Community.
Why didn’t you just provide a link to the evaluation instead of instructions to the eBay web site?
We are aware that currently there are a lot of emails going out with false links pretending to be eBay in an attempt to gather your personal information. We strive to make your experience as safe as possible, and as such are asking that you go to our site directly to participate in this survey. By doing so, you can be completely sure that this is indeed an eBay-sponsored survey. Thank you for your understanding.
What are the system requirements for the Vividence Connector?
· Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP, or ME
· Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5 or 6.0
· Pentium 166 or higher
· 1MB disk space
How long does the download take?
· On a high speed connection, it takes approximately 8-10 seconds
· On a dial-up connection, it takes approximately 1 minute
When I use the Vividence Connector, what does it track and when?
· You must use the Vividence Connector to perform an evaluation. During the evaluation, once an objective or specified part of the evaluation has been completed, a brief upload will send Vividence information about the pages you have browsed. Comments you have provided and/or the answers to the questions that you were asked will be uploaded at the end of the evaluation. When you are not actively participating in an evaluation, we do not track your movements on the Web. No information is uploaded to us apart from the data gathered during live customer experience evaluations.
How long will this evaluation take to complete?
· The entire evaluation should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete
How do I uninstall the Vividence Connector?
· In Internet Explorer, under the “Tools” menu, click on “Internet Options”
· In the middle of the dialog box, find the “Temporary Internet Files” section, and click on the “Settings” button
· Click on the “View Objects” button
· Remove the program file called “Vividence Connector Launcher” by highlighting it, right-clicking, and selecting “Remove”
· Close the “Downloaded Program Files” folder by clicking the “X” on the upper right
· Click “OK” on each of the two remaining windows
· The Connector is now uninstalled*
*A few Vividence files will remain on your computer after performing these uninstall instructions. These files can be safely deleted manually. If you would like specific instructions regarding how to do this, please e-mail [email protected].
Please note, eBay will never ask their users for personal information, such as bank accounts numbers, credit card numbers, pin numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers in an email. For more information on how to protect your eBay password and your account, please visit: http://pages.ebay.com/help/account_protection.html
eBay truly respects the opinions of its Members. We are contacting you for market research purposes only. If you complete the evaluation, we will contact you one more time with the $10 SuperCertificate. After that, you will not be re-contacted as a result of your participation in this study. All information collected is confidential and the information you provide will be used strictly within eBay's Privacy Policy, which can be found at the following URL: http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-priv.html
You have received this email because your preferences indicated that you were willing to participate in eBay surveys. To change your notification preferences, which determine how you would like eBay to communicate with you, please visit our Notification Change page (please note that it might take up to 14 days to process your request). http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?OptinLoginShow
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubcribe immediately, please click on the following link: http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?OptinLoginShow, as specified in the e-mail above. Unsubscribe
posted on June 9, 2003 07:08:15 PM new
My opinion is that since you didn't post the message headers, it's kinda hard to tell. OTOH, this was probably sent out by the Vividence folks so it wouldn't have eBay in the headers.
Sure sounds like an eBay-type survey, though.
--
California voters: Be a part of the first-ever successful gubernatorial recall! Defy media pundits! $21 million of our money is going down the tubes daily because of our incompetent corrupt governor. Visit http://www.recallgraydavis.com to download your recall petition.
posted on June 9, 2003 08:38:32 PM new
I got one last week. There was no attempt to get any personal information beyond an e-mail address. Unfortunately, the software wouldn't completely load for me. It got to 99% and stalled. I tried it several times and then when I went back over the weekend, it said no surveys.
I would have loved to have seen what eBay is thinking about for changes to glass, which is what I primarily sell.
If you do decide to take the survey, let us know what happens.
posted on June 9, 2003 09:01:22 PM new
A scam email from ebay that promised $10 gift certificates would be a great way to harvest cc numbers or passwords. This particular email looks legit but the bad guys may try that approach next since ebay has already sent similar emails.
posted on June 9, 2003 09:10:35 PM new
You have to go to the eBay home page - they do not provide a link - and go to "Glass and Pottery". That's where you get the survey link.
So I doubt this is a scam unless they've taken control of the eBay servers. It's still there.
posted on June 9, 2003 09:52:58 PM new
I ran this one by [email protected] when I received it. They responded that it was indeed from eBay, and that I got it because my preferences were set to receive occasional such things. Marshall
posted on June 9, 2003 10:08:50 PM new
Smart move Carguy...That's exactly what the [email protected] address was created for. No need to wonder if an email is legit. Get it verified straight from the horse's mouth.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on June 10, 2003 01:37:49 AM new
So if I promise you $10 will you install my worm program that allows me access into your computer and sends me all of your login information for every site you log into too? Can I not only access your ebay accounts but your Paypal, bank, credit card, do an online trading... I can really have fun with that account. And all I have to do is promise you $10. Such a deal!!
THERE IS NO NEED WHATSOEVER FOR YOU TO INSTALL A PROGRAM TO DO A SURVEY.
Even if this is from ebay - I would have serious doubts of anything that wants to install a program on my computer.
[ edited by neonmania on Jun 10, 2003 02:28 AM ]
posted on June 10, 2003 06:24:38 AM new
I received an email similar to this one. I went to eBay and filled out the survey. No programs needed to be installed or downloaded. It is legit as far as the survey is concerned. Of course I haven't received a discount certifiate as of yet, so we'll see if that part is legit as well.
However, I do like the proposed selections for sellers in Pottery and Glass. The selections are much clearer and it appears that eBay is going to list in more than one category automatically. If that option will be free is another matter, however.
