Police warn of new phishing scam

Sellers on Ebay Classifieds are currently victims of fraud. Because with the help of a new phishing scam, cybercriminals are trying to get hold of the personal data of the providers. The backgrounds.

Ebay Classifieds is one of the most popular sales platforms for private individuals. About 60 percent of Germans use the portal to buy and sell items – which also makes the platform interesting for online scammers.

Fraud on Ebay Classifieds: New phishing scam against sellers

A new phishing scam is currently circulating on eBay classifieds. As the police in Baden-Württemberg, among others, warn, it is primarily aimed at sellers. Cyber ​​criminals try to use personal contact information to send malicious links.

As an example, the authority cites the case of a young man who had offered a book on the sales platform. A potential buyer reported via the chat function and stated that payment via PayPal was not working.

Unauthorized account debit of several thousand euros

However, she said that Ebay had a new payment method. The 26-year-old only had to follow a link that the interested party would send him.

The person concerned complied and was redirected to a phishing site where he was asked to enter his bank details. He then found that an unapproved booking of several thousand euros had been made from his account.

The police are therefore warning of phishing emails via Ebay classifieds, through which internet fraudsters try to get payment card details, passwords and personal data.

Ebay classifieds scam: How to protect yourself against phishing

In connection with the new scam, the police are giving some helpful tips to protect those affected from harm. First of all, credit card companies would never send such letters and e-mails and would ask for personal data to be entered on the Internet.

In addition, those affected should make sure who the incoming emails come from. To do this, you should check the address bar of the browser carefully. The smallest errors indicate that it could be a fake sender.

Police warn of links in emails

Recipients of such emails should also never click on any links. They should also neither open nor download files. Instead, they could try to reach the pages specified in the mail via the browser. If you are unsure, the police recommend that you consult the relevant institute.

In principle, those affected should never send personal and confidential data such as passwords and transaction numbers by e-mail. In the case of Ebay classifieds, it is important to be suspicious if interested parties absolutely want to communicate outside of the official platform.

In principle, users should therefore only enter their banking details on the official website of their bank and log out after each session. Also, check your account balance regularly.

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