eBay has found their new policy of having you confirm your identity when logging into your account from a computer that you do not usually use.  They will require that you receive an automated phone call or contact Live Chat to confirm your identity.  eBay has found the the amound of account takeovers has been significantly reduced since implementing this policy.  Here is the announcement:
 
Hi everyone…this is John Canfield, Senior Director for Fraud Prevention Policy. I have two important updates on security initiatives to share with you.

Trusted Selling with Identity Confirmation -- Progress Update
Trusted selling with identity confirmation, which we first announced in April, 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.

Last spring, we began to implement this project by noting which computers members typically use when they buy and sell on eBay. Then two months ago, we started testing the identity confirmation process for a small population of users. I’m pleased to let you know that our testing has been successful – we’ve seen a significant reduction in account takeovers, and it’s been a smooth experience for users. We are now expanding this initiative to the entire Community, which should be completed within one to two weeks.

Going forward, if you list from a different computer than you usually use (e.g. a computer at a friend’s house, at the library, etc.), eBay will make an automated call to you to confirm it’s really you attempting to list an item. If you are not available to receive a call, you can instead confirm your identity via Live Chat with our customer support team.

Thanks for taking the time to read about these updates to improve safety on eBay, and we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

John Canfield
Senior Director, eBay Trust & Safety

Original Announcement:  http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200810281156252.html