Security experts at MicroWorld Technologies claim that the scam mail in question tells users their accounts have been suspended after being compromised by suspected online thieves, and prompts them to key in their user information in order to revoke the same. Once the confidential information is entered in the Web site given, it will be sent directly to those behind the scam.

Sulabh Mahant, security analyst at MicroWorld Technologies, observes: This mail is written in a very professional manner, which is likely to make even the well-informed user wonder whether what it says is actually true. It talks about online fraud and the need to protect ones password while performing transactions over the Internet. The link looks authentic, while the mail even explains how some pop-up blockers might prevent users from accessing the form, and gives tips to circumvent it!

One knows that phishing has come of age and has already metamorphosed into techniques like pharming, where DNS poisoning is employed in redirecting users towards fake Web sites. Though this eBay mail might be a retro sample in that sense, it is intriguing to see the lengths that con artists can go to script something really believable. The fact is that every aspect of online crime is trying hard to better itself, and what matters is how much your protective gear matches strides with it, points out Govind Rammurthy, CEO of MicroWorld Technologies.