Scam or no?

[Bram]

I just got this here email for the second time:

We at eBay are sorry to inform you that we are having problems with
the billing information of your account. We would appreciate it if you
would visit our eBay Billing Center and fill out the proper
information that we are needing to keep you as an eBay member. If you don't comply until the 19 January 2005, your eBay membership may be suspended, or even deleted.

Click here to complete our web form.
 
As outlined in our User Agreement, eBay will periodically send you
information about site changes and enhancements. Visit our Privacy
Policy and User Agreement if you have any questions.

It looks genuine, and it's also the second time they sent me this. On the other hand, WTF is up with billing information? Why do they need that? Is this a scam or no?

[rvs]

It's usually a scam. However, to be sure, you can always just delete the mail, NOT click on any links whatsoever, and go to www.ebay.com. And you could probably check it out.

[Dr. Sylvan]

I'm of the opinion that it's always a scam. This is a very common thing; people spoof paypal.com email addresses, too. If they were having a problem with your account it would show up on their actual site whenever you were logged in.

Edit: example:

We have recently noticed one or more attempts to log into your PayPal account from a foreign IP address and we have reasons to believe that your account may have been hijacked by a third party without your authorization.

If you recently accessed your account while traveling, the unusual login in attempts may have been initiated by you. However, if you are the rightful holder of the account, click on the link below to log into your account within the above-mentioned period.


https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run


If you choose to ignore our request, you leave us no choice but to temporaly suspend your account.

We ask that you allow at least 72 hours for the case to be investigated and we strongly recommend to verify your account in that time.

If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account holder, please be aware that it is in violation of PayPal policy to represent oneself as another PayPal user. Such action may also be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. PayPal is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related to attempts to misappropriate personal information with the intent to commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request of law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Thanks for your patience and understanding as we work together to protect your account.

Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department
PayPal, an eBay Company

This came to me from "spoof@paypal.com", and I know for sure it's a fake because it went to an email address that isn't for a person (it's for a registered student organization here at my school). Basically, everyone in the world needs to up their paranoia level about their inbox. I got an email from my credit card company a couple of weeks after I got my card, and it didn't really occur to me as I was reading it to suspect it as fake---and I am so paranoid I hold my wallet over my fingers as I type my PIN into an ATM. This particular one really was legit, but I should have been more instinctively suspicious.

[Eddie]

It's a scam for sure. I get mails "from ebay and paypal" at least once a week. If you're not sure if it is spoof, ALWAYS go to the site using your browser directly. NEVER use the link in the mail.

[JACO]

Any email requesting information or requesting you to click on a link is a scam. Forward any email you feel is questionable to spoof@paypal.com or spoof@ebay.com (obv. depending on the scam) and they will usually get back to you within the day to let you know.