eBay has decided to block members from seeing winning bidder IDs in an effort to combat fraud. Sellers will still be able to view all bidder IDs on their own listings, and feedback pages will continue to show buyer and seller IDS. eBay's announcement stated, "This change was designed to protect bidders from fake Second Chance Offers and other malicious emails." eBay began its bidder-anonymizing program 2 years ago in the eBay Motors category for bids that exceeded $200 and expanded it over the past 2 years. eBay members have complained that the system makes it easier for disreputable sellers to shill bid on their own auctions to drive prices higher.
eBay also said its pilot program to reduce account takeovers has been a success, and it is expanding the program to the entire membership base. Trusted selling with identity confirmation is designed to prevent fraudsters from gaining access to members' accounts in order to commit fraud on eBay. It adds a new level of security by asking anyone listing an item from an "unknown" computer to confirm their identity.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200810281156252.html
