Forum

Passwords!! Passwords are enough to link you!
 

Having used Stlth for a long while, I recently did a pinzoo purchase from one Alabama acct with one isp service, and then 20 min later another purchase from another isp (and diff computer, internet provider, EVERYTHING was different... even different payment method) but my passwords were 8 digit and the same. When the second purchase didnt go through, I called thier customer service, and they said my purchase was flagged, gave me to someone clearly higher up than customer service, and they asked me if I was linked to **** which I said no, and they fixed me up. I was shocked that they made the connection AT ALL, when I asked like I was stupid what I did wrong or why they thought I was someone else, they wouldnt say (of course). After very,very careful review, I realized the only similarity- passwords were identical, and the purchases were so close together.

My point is if one company can link me by passwords (and passwords ONLY- I'm 5000% sure) then I'm sure Eb has a way of keeping an eye out for 3 accts made within 20 min of each other with different info and the same passwords.

I'm not saying it's a kiss of death, but since we're on here to better our chances, I just wanted to remind everybody not to overlook something easily avoidable and potentially problematic.

First point - I always use diff passwords.

Second point - I have NO reason to believe that passwords would be a strong link. Of course, safe better than sorry but this is a bit silly.

My point is more that there is a way/software out there that keeps track of this, and if one company has it, I'd bet Eb has it, probably not to just link-and-lock, but surely to at least HELP in flagging.... kinda like using the same font/description/items, stuff like that...

I won't be pulled into the excessive worries here - but sure eb has access to your pws (any system that makes accounts will have) but to use software to crosslink the pws? I think it's HIGHLY cost ineffective - and that's what eb would like to keep costs low.

Using similar passwords has been discussed before and simply lazy if you continue to use the same one over and over.

Absolute nonsense. Personal credentials like password and secret questions doesn't link you, period. There could be tens of thousands of people that uses the password "applepie" and named their eldest child "bob".

example - BiN over here likes to always use the password - password123 - and he is a MASTER..../echo master...

Same item purchased, same password and all within 20 minutes as OP claims. Who knows how close the IPs were as far as region is concerned.

No one is claiming a password will kill an account, just like a similar IP won't kill an account by itself. But, a flag could easily be triggered here with all of these coincidences...

How did you know my password :eek:

Stealth advises you to be different in all ways-so that to me includes passwords.

Also I sort of create a personality - searching, bidding, doing things a certain way - differently for each account.

Probably doesn't link you, but I know they could go into the mysql database and look at the password since I use to do this myself on my own website long time ago. Just good to be extra careful.

i have tested this kind of thing on PP

when trying to log in to PP, using the same password on a 3 accounts never linked them, neither did entering a password from an old account on an account that was going down, entering an email from an old banned account to an account that was going down did the tirck and linked them.

only entered it once.

YES passwords can link you, I have had this happen in the early days (of my stealthing) and the asian chick actually admitted it to me.

I flipped "your telling me my account is closed because some a$$hole in bumble f*ck Utuah used my same password? are you kidding lol once the pass in the same they look at type of items sold, if there close RESTRICTED

See children...

Passwords can link you, but not alone and they need a manual review.

My own take on turnpike's post, is that small companies operate bit differently than much bigger ones.

Having 100's of operations per day easy to do a manual review), is different than having millions of operations per day, where everything has to be bot-ted.

Having a small company myself, it's easier for me to raise a linking flag between bob324@yahoo.com and bob432@yahoo.com especially if they are consecutive orders or in they have other similarities - I process all the orders myself.
However it's impossible for PP or EB to guess this through their bots due to the exceedingly high number of orders (a manual review would be needed).

Password CANNOT link you, even if it is done by a manual review. The account specialists have no access to your password, it is hashed and encrypted in the database level and the website level. Just because they can change certain info it doesn't mean they can retrieve them too.

Agree.
If but two encrypted passwords match, means that they are the same.

Exactly, the hashes would be the same, thus a link could be made.

Re: Passwords!! Passwords are enough to link you!
 

In a similar vein just listed some items on Amazon in my newly created seller account that had previously helped me to get suspended on Ebay but of course no worries there as the 2 sites are so far apart as to be almost on different planets, however, did not go Amazon Fulfillment whereby they collect boxed and packaged items to store in their warehouses to despatch from there when orders come in as who knows if they have software similar to airport scanning that would be able to read logo's which could potentially lead them to monitor sellers for possible copyright issues on goods bought from China, although as I have said in previous postings items on there are clearly saying they come from China in some instances, still better to be safe than sorry, these are items that really are so much cheaper to buy from the Far East as well especially when there are no postage costs and no more frequent quality issues either than there would have been even if they could be sourced at those prices anywhere else !

Re: Passwords!! Passwords are enough to link you!
 

Wow Rosie - what a thread revival...it's cute but last post was 2011...props on your search though :thumb:

Re: Passwords!! Passwords are enough to link you!
 

Here is the thing... EVERYTHING on your stealth accounts should be as different as possible, you want to eliminate ANY similarities and that INCLUDES passwords. And I wouldn't recommend using serial passwords either, such as Jefferson53, Jefferson54, Jefferson55, etc.

Even if the bots don't get you, a human reviewer could look at that if an account is flagged and see it.

I also use different browsers, or the same browser but with different plugins installed. Browser fingerprinting IS REAL!

And you have to believe that eBay, PayPal and Amazon are improving their technology all the time. That could be simply using new software to detect accounts, or completely new hardware, or even just plugging a new algorithm into existing software.

The more differences in your accounts, the better off you will be.

Re: Passwords!! Passwords are enough to link you!
 

I think its definitely a linking factor, but if you have an array of stealth accounts your keeping track on a spreadsheet like myself, just make a different password for each. I use a random password generator on google to make the passwords for each account...Stealth is about uniqueness, dont risk it, even though opinions on this vary.