Fraudsters lure classified ad buyers onto fake payment portals
Police in the Braunschweig region report a new fraud method spreading in which buyers on second-hand goods internet platforms are tricked into handing over their banking details.
Fraudsters lure classified ad buyers onto fake payment portals
Police in the Braunschweig region report a new fraud method spreading in which buyers on second-hand goods internet platforms are tricked into handing over their banking details. Officers are observing a sharp increase in such cases and describe it as an outright wave of fraud.
The perpetrators act as supposed sellers and demand transfers from interested buyers via external services. In doing so, they redirect their victims to websites that closely resemble legitimate payment providers. Buyers must then enter their bank details together with their transaction number. Once the criminals have the data, they access the accounts and steal money.
Investigators recommend conducting all negotiations via the internal messaging system of the respective trading platform. A switch to other communication channels should be refused. Furthermore, bank access details and security codes must never be entered on foreign websites. Unexpected requests to enter transaction authentication numbers are always suspicious.
Source: NDR
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)