Cookies interaction

biesas · #1 06-25-2012

Hi everyone. I been reading this forum from time to time but only now got a serious problem to talk about.

I sell and buy on ebay nearly 3 years on stealth accounts. This is paper books, CD's and other used small stuff. Always using stealth accounts and from time to time get limited. Usualy my account holds for 1-2 month before they ask for documents. Then i move away to another account. I know the stuff about different users on pc, different ip, totaly different info, and all the rest of the important points, and all the time it worked ok.

But something happend last month. Got limited on my account. No big deal- shifted pc users and created a new one. Listed a few small items. Got 2 payments (30-35 usd). Sended items. Entered tracking. After 2 days tryed to purchase a CD paying by paypal and using paypal funds... and got limited nex day. MC999 your account is restricted, listing removed and so on. In pp transactions are reversed. Not a big damage- lost of 35 usd. Nothing to fight for.
Created new account. Same story again. This time lost 15 usd. Ok...
One more account created next day. and next day and next day... 8 times in a row and a found of the day! When i tryed to create a new account and opened ebay website on new PC user for the first time spoted a thing- it shows "your recently viewed items" section with some of the items i already viewed in the past from different accounts! And after creating account and loging in it shows "popular on ebay" section with nearly all the same items i viewed from different accounts. So how this can be possible if PC users and ip and all info are totaly new??? This account been suspended in 2 days too.

This way i limited 8 accounts in a row. I suspect there is a possibility that different users cookies are interacting somehow. But where can be a hole??? Im not using any software like ebay toolbars or something. Using firefox. Flash player and java updates are instaled. No Active X.

So is it realy possible that they can somehow track different users cookies already and to link them? Because in the past it all worked just fine and only now the strange things happening.

Any ideas?

biesas · #2 06-26-2012

All info is totaly different. Ip's are different. PC users are different. Each ebay acc has its separate pp. I always use 1 ebay account + 1 pp account and never mix the pairs or linking one to several. Each ebay account has the same details as pp account to which it is linked.

Found something interesting today.
Reinstaled windows and after instaling mozila found it has ebay plugin by default, which is stored in Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins. And no mater if ebay was never opened yet- its already there and can be edited or reached from any PC user account. Beside it you will find google, amazon, wikipedia and some more files (even if you never opened thous pages yet). Deleted them all. Not sure this efects anything but these files looks suspicious to me anyway

Looks they are getting smarter..

totallylegit · #3 07-08-2012

I am having the very same problem. On three different user accounts, I know I have never signed into that other account from any of these user accounts but they all show the same recently viewed items on the main ebay page. I use CC cleaner + firefox, better privacy is installed as well. I cleaned all flash cookies as well as running another CC cleaner. The same recently viewed items are still there. I am not going to sign into any account until I get an answer or a new computer. Please update this thread if you find anything other than the default firefox setting. I checked that too, still having the same problem

Quote:

Originally Posted by biesas

Hi everyone. I been reading this forum from time to time but only now got a serious problem to talk about.

I sell and buy on ebay nearly 3 years on stealth accounts. This is paper books, CD's and other used small stuff. Always using stealth accounts and from time to time get limited. Usualy my account holds for 1-2 month before they ask for documents. Then i move away to another account. I know the stuff about different users on pc, different ip, totaly different info, and all the rest of the important points, and all the time it worked ok.

But something happend last month. Got limited on my account. No big deal- shifted pc users and created a new one. Listed a few small items. Got 2 payments (30-35 usd). Sended items. Entered tracking. After 2 days tryed to purchase a CD paying by paypal and using paypal funds... and got limited nex day. MC999 your account is restricted, listing removed and so on. In pp transactions are reversed. Not a big damage- lost of 35 usd. Nothing to fight for.
Created new account. Same story again. This time lost 15 usd. Ok...
One more account created next day. and next day and next day... 8 times in a row and a found of the day! When i tryed to create a new account and opened ebay website on new PC user for the first time spoted a thing- it shows "your recently viewed items" section with some of the items i already viewed in the past from different accounts! And after creating account and loging in it shows "popular on ebay" section with nearly all the same items i viewed from different accounts. So how this can be possible if PC users and ip and all info are totaly new??? This account been suspended in 2 days too.

This way i limited 8 accounts in a row. I suspect there is a possibility that different users cookies are interacting somehow. But where can be a hole??? Im not using any software like ebay toolbars or something. Using firefox. Flash player and java updates are instaled. No Active X.

So is it realy possible that they can somehow track different users cookies already and to link them? Because in the past it all worked just fine and only now the strange things happening.

Any ideas?

crafty1 · #4 07-08-2012

Its got to be something to do with Firefox. I use Google chrome all the time and today decided to install firefox on a new user account and there was something not right at all, couldn't figure out what so I just uninstalled it.

I am sure those experienced in FF will be able to explain

totallylegit · #5 07-08-2012

Ugh, I feel like I am spending %99 of my time on hiding, reading and finding safer ways of doing things but %1 on actually doing or listing anything for the last two weeks. I just hope this changes soon and I get the hang of this, otherwise I am a dead girl

LAMBOMECER · #6 07-08-2012

mc999 are turning into something that happens regardless ! :(

beaches · #7 07-09-2012

after reformat do a search of the computer for ebay and amazon. Then just delete it before going on line. It is built into firefox. also use an older version like 5..

smithg57 · #8 07-09-2012

Just in case -- same files also exist for mozilla thunderbird (see Program Files>Mozilla Thunderbird>searchplugins).

totallylegit · #9 07-09-2012

I have searched all, deleted everything, did run a CC cleaner, added a new user nothing worked. Time to go back to Chrome I guess. Thank you for the suggestions guys..

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithg57

Just in case -- same files also exist for mozilla thunderbird (see Program Files>Mozilla Thunderbird>searchplugins).

smithg57 · #10 07-09-2012

Very interesting but in my case my recent searches are different for each account and firefox does not display any recent viewings in all accounts with the exception of one that I do all of the item viewings. I am using version 13.0.1 of firefox.

totallylegit · #11 07-09-2012

I used the same firefox. Funny, there is another thread talking about their recent items viewed but they never viewed it . Today I have logged in and seen items I have never viewed before too. So I think something is wrong with their system or something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithg57

Very interesting but in my case my recent searches are different for each account and firefox does not display any recent viewings in all accounts with the exception of one that I do all of the item viewings. I am using version 13.0.1 of firefox.

biesas · #12 07-12-2012

Looks it something with a firefox and more.. Formated hdd, reinstaled windows and instaled firefox early 6 version. It was ok for the 3 first accounts. And after that started old things.
Called my good friend who is very tight programer with big experience and invited for a beer. Described my problem and heard lots of things i did not know before.. He works with websites many years and users tracking for him is not a big deal. He told me that on most projects for user tracking they are using a software which can watch / or at least trys to watch local machine devices id. Next day visited him in work place and got a demonstration how website users can be identified by your computer hdd device id number. that was something. And cookies had nothing to do with that! After that he explained how the stuff works, showed more examples and stuff i never seen or heard about before. My knowledge is not so strong to understand clearly everything what was said, but he offered a solution- after formating your hdd and instaling fresh copy of windows, device id changes and you become "Mr. new" untill the next time. Not sure EB or PP are using this too, but if a private sector companies can do that than expect everything..