Google Checkout Buyer Help

Malware is software that accesses your personal information or performs other unwanted commands on your computer. To detect and block malware, we recommend the free Google Pack -- which includes the Mozilla Firefox web browser, antivirus software, and antispyware utilities.

Below, you'll find a list of other software options available to protect your computer from malware. We have no connection with these companies and can't comment on the programs' effectiveness.

• Spyware Doctor (Starter edition included free with Google Pack)
• Sunbelt Software CounterSpy
• Kaspersky Lab Internet Security
• Norton Internet Security
• Lavasoft Ad-Aware
• MacScan (for Mac users)

Additional assistance is available on the Web Search Help Center.

You may also file a complaint with StopBadware.org if you feel you were deceived when you installed a program that creates popups or modifies your browser.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices in the U.S. You can file a FTC complaint online, call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

     Federal Trade Commission
     CRC-240
     Washington, D.C. 20580

If your complaint is against a company located outside the U.S., please file it with econsumer.gov.

Phishing is a message or website that tries to trick you into revealing personal information by appearing to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank (or Google!). If you receive a suspicious message, do not provide the information requested. Messages or websites phishing for information might ask you to enter:

• Usernames and passwords
• Social Security numbers
• Bank account numbers
• PINs (Personal Identification Numbers)
• Full credit card numbers

Legitimate messages sent by Google may ask you to click a link to verify your email address. If we're unable to verify the information in your Google Checkout account, we'll request additional documentation from you by sending an email from noreply@checkout.google.com or noreply@checkout.l.google.com. This email will ask you to sign in to your Google Checkout account and submit documents that verify your billing details. Google won't ask you to provide this sort of information until you've successfully signed in to your account.

If you're concerned about the legitimacy of an email sent by Google, please forward a copy of the suspicious email to phishing@google.com, or you may report suspicious messages to Google.

If you're a Gmail user, you can report a message as phishing with the link provided in the message header. Learn more.

Spoofing is falsifying the 'from' address of an email by displaying a false sender. To find the true sender of an email in Gmail, click the drop-down next to the time stamp labeled 'reply', and select 'show original'. The 'reply-to' address and the 'from' address should match. The message-id should also match the 'from' address domain. If you don't use Gmail, please consult your email host for details on how to verify the sender.

Make sure you know where a message originated from before you communicate with the sender, download attachments, or click on links.

If you receive a message spoofing Google, please forward a copy of the message to spoof@google.com