How do I identify the source of email spoofing reports sent to spoof@ebay.com?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 6 May 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
8 min read
Receiving email spoofing reports from an address like spoof@ebay.com can be quite perplexing, especially when the reports don't seem to align with your sending practices. It often feels like you're trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. These reports indicate that someone, or something, is forwarding emails believed to be spoofed (or impersonating) eBay to this address. The immediate challenge is figuring out if these are legitimate complaints from users, or automated forwards from a compromised or misconfigured mailbox.
My initial thought when I encounter these types of issues is to determine the exact nature of the report. Is it an active user reporting an email they deem suspicious, or is it an automated system forwarding emails? The speed at which these replies come back can offer a significant clue. If you receive a reply almost instantaneously after sending an email, it strongly suggests an automated forwarding rule rather than a human action.
The core problem is identifying which of your sent emails, and more importantly, which recipient, is triggering these reports. Since spoof@ebay.com isn't a traditional inbox you can query, we need to rely on the information contained within the forwarded report itself or implement strategies to tag our outgoing emails.
To effectively identify the source of spoof@ebay.com reports, it is crucial to understand that spoof@ebay.com is eBay's dedicated address for users to report phishing and spoofing attempts. This means any email sent to them via this address is flagged as potentially malicious or deceptive. eBay explicitly encourages users to forward suspicious emails to them.
What are these reports?
eBay receives millions of emails daily, and spoof@ebay.com serves as a central hub for security intelligence. These reports can stem from various sources, including actual phishing attempts impersonating your domain, or even legitimate emails that are being misidentified or forwarded for unknown reasons. The goal is to differentiate between these scenarios and pinpoint the exact recipient that caused the report.
How to approach the reports
When you receive a reply from spoof@ebay.com, it usually includes some headers from the originally forwarded email. This is your primary point of investigation. Look for any headers that appear to originate from your sending system. Unfortunately, if eBay's system only returns their own headers, identifying the original recipient becomes more complex without prior tagging.
A common scenario is that a recipient on your list has an auto-forwarding rule or a spam filter that sends suspicious emails directly to spoof@ebay.com. This happens automatically, which explains the near-instantaneous replies you might observe. Less common, but still possible, is an actual user manually forwarding your email if they mistakenly believe it is an eBay spoof. This typically happens if the email content, sender name, or subject line somehow relates to eBay, even if you do not directly mention it.
To effectively troubleshoot these reports, you need to extract as much information as possible from the headers. Specifically, look for elements like Received headers, Authentication-Results, and any X-Originating-IP or X-Mailer headers. These can provide clues about the path the email took and potentially reveal the original recipient's mail server or the forwarding service.
Investigating email headers for clues
Email headers are a goldmine of information, detailing every hop an email takes from sender to recipient. When you get a report from spoof@ebay.com, analyzing these headers is the first step in identifying the original source. Look for headers related to the original recipient's mail server, particularly those added before the email was forwarded to eBay.
Example email headerstext
Received: from [192.0.2.1] by mail.example.com with ESMTP id ABCDEF12345
for <recipient@example.com>; Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0500
Authentication-Results: example.com; spf=pass (sender IP is 192.0.2.1)
smtp.mailfrom=yourdomain.com; dkim=pass (signature was verified)
header.d=yourdomain.com; dmarc=pass action=none header.from=yourdomain.com
Return-Path: <bounce+abc=recipient@yourdomain.com>
X-Original-Recipient: recipient@example.com
Specifically, you'll want to review the Received headers, as they list the servers that handled the email. The oldest Received header (usually at the bottom of the list when viewed from top to bottom) indicates the initial reception of your email. If your own Return-Path is included in the forwarded headers from eBay, and you are using a Variable Envelope Return Path (VERP) or an opaque token system, you can directly identify the original recipient. However, if eBay strips or replaces these, it becomes more challenging.
Additionally, examine the Authentication-Results header. This header provides insights into whether SPF, DKIM, and DMARC passed or failed. If they passed, it reinforces that the email genuinely originated from your domain. If they failed, it could point to a true spoofing incident originating from a source other than your legitimate sending infrastructure. In such cases, you need to understand how to mitigate email spoofing damage.
Advanced techniques for source identification
When direct header analysis isn't enough, employing advanced techniques can help you pinpoint the problematic recipient or forwarding source. These methods involve embedding unique identifiers into your emails.
Variable envelope return path (VERP)
VERP involves encoding recipient information directly into the Return-Path address. This allows for precise tracking of bounces and other automated replies. If a report from spoof@ebay.com includes your original Return-Path, you can decode the VERP string to identify the exact recipient that triggered it.
Opaque tokens
An opaque token is a unique identifier embedded into custom headers, email content, or links that doesn't directly reveal the recipient's email address. When you receive a report that includes this token, you can cross-reference it with your sending logs to identify the specific email and recipient. This is particularly useful if the Return-Path is not preserved.
If you don't receive your own headers back from spoof@ebay.com, the challenge is to find a way to stash an email address identifier in your outgoing messages such that eBay's system will return it to you in the spoof report. This might involve experimenting with different methods of embedding a unique token. Once you have a method to identify the original recipient, you can segment your email sends to isolate the problematic address or group of addresses. This systematic approach, often called examining email headers, allows you to narrow down the source.
Another avenue to explore, if your email platform allows, is to analyze clicks and opens that originate from eBay's network. While it is unlikely that spoof@ebay.com itself would click or open emails, a misconfigured forwarding system on a user's end might. If you see clicks or opens attributed to IP addresses within eBay's ranges for a particular email that later triggered a spoof report, this could also point to an automated forwarding issue.
Addressing the root cause and mitigation
Once you've identified the specific recipient or segment of your list triggering these reports, the next step is to understand why your emails are being reported. If it is indeed an auto-forward, there might not be a direct reason for your content to be flagged. It could be a broad rule catching any email mentioning 'transaction' or 'account' that might coincidentally appear in your legitimate messages, or a spam trap.
If you suspect the issue is related to an email address that is automatically forwarding emails, consider isolating that address or segment for a period. This will help confirm if they are the primary cause of the spoof@ebay.com reports. Removing or suppressing such addresses from your list might be necessary if they are disproportionately affecting your sender reputation or if you cannot determine a legitimate reason for their forwarding activity.
Proactive measures
Implementing a robust DMARC policy with reporting enabled can provide valuable insights into where and how your domain is being used, or misused, across the internet. DMARC reports (RUA and RUF) can show you authentication results for emails sent from your domain, even those not sent by you. This can help you understand if actual impersonation is occurring, separate from isolated forwarding issues.
If the issue persists or you identify actual instances of your domain being spoofed, ensure your email authentication protocols, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are correctly configured and enforced. A strong DMARC policy (p=reject) can instruct receiving mail servers to reject unauthorized emails purporting to be from your domain, significantly reducing the impact of spoofing and potentially the number of reports sent to addresses like spoof@ebay.com.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Implement VERP (Variable Envelope Return Path) for all outgoing emails to embed unique recipient identifiers in the return path, enabling precise tracking of automated replies and abuse reports.
Use opaque tokens in custom email headers or tracking links. These identifiers help you cross-reference reports with your internal logs to find the original recipient even if standard headers are stripped.
Analyze full email headers of reports received from email security addresses, looking for 'Received' lines or 'X-Original-Recipient' headers that might reveal the path or original destination.
Ensure your DMARC policy is set to at least 'p=quarantine' or 'p=reject' and monitor DMARC reports daily to identify unauthorized sending activity from your domain.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive or problematic addresses that might be auto-forwarding to abuse mailboxes or acting as spam traps.
Common pitfalls
Ignoring replies from addresses like spoof@ebay.com, assuming they are irrelevant bounces, which can lead to missed opportunities to identify and fix issues.
Failing to implement unique recipient tracking (like VERP or opaque tokens) in outgoing emails, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint the specific source of a report.
Overlooking subtle clues in email headers, such as intermediate mail server names or non-standard headers, that could indicate an auto-forwarding chain.
Not considering that legitimate content might be misinterpreted as spoofing if it contains keywords or design elements commonly used in phishing campaigns.
Having a DMARC policy set to 'p=none' without active monitoring, which means you're not getting actionable intelligence on spoofing attempts against your domain.
Expert tips
Create a dedicated internal email address (e.g., 'abuse-feedback@yourdomain.com') to act as a catch-all for abuse reports or auto-forwards. Configure your sending platform to use this as the Return-Path or a custom header.
Segment your audience and send test campaigns to smaller groups when investigating these issues. This can help isolate the problematic email address or forwarding rule more quickly.
Collaborate with your ESP or IT team to implement advanced logging and analytics that capture the full email journey and any associated metadata, making it easier to trace reports.
If you suspect a specific forwarding service or a particular email client is the cause, research its typical header patterns or forwarding behavior to identify it within the reports.
Regularly review your email content for any terms, phrases, or visual elements that might inadvertently trigger spam filters or appear suspicious to email services and users.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says the spoof@ebay.com address is specifically used by eBay to collect reports about spoofing. This is their dedicated channel for users to forward suspicious emails they receive.
2023-05-15 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they rarely mention eBay in their emails, except for occasional stock tickers. They were trying to understand why their emails would be reported to eBay at all, especially if the address isn't on their list.
2023-06-20 - Email Geeks
Ensuring email deliverability and trust
Dealing with spoofing reports from addresses like spoof@ebay.com requires a methodical approach. It's rarely a straightforward bounce, but rather a symptom of either legitimate reports or, more commonly, automated forwarding rules. By carefully examining email headers, implementing unique recipient identifiers like VERP or opaque tokens, and proactively monitoring your email authentication, you can gain clarity.
The insights gained from this investigation are invaluable for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and ensuring your emails reach their intended recipients. Identifying and addressing these issues promptly helps to prevent potential blocklist (or blacklist) placements and maintains trust with mailbox providers and your audience. Remember, a proactive stance on email security and deliverability is always the best defense.
eBay receives millions of emails daily, and spoof@ebay.com serves as a central hub for security intelligence. These reports can stem from various sources, including actual phishing attempts impersonating your domain, or even legitimate emails that are being misidentified or forwarded for unknown reasons. The goal is to differentiate between these scenarios and pinpoint the exact recipient that caused the report.
