Why you should never give out your cell phone number

A new scam is intended to rip off users on eBay classifieds. Particularly perfidious: the fraudsters contact sellers who leave a cell phone number in their ad – and use a nasty trick to pretend a level of security that doesn’t even exist.

Hardly a week goes by when scammers don’t try a new scam to steal money from unsuspecting people. This time, the fiends are once again targeting users of eBay classifieds – a prime target given that the popular marketplace is used by millions.

Scammers send fake links via cell phone numbers

A similar pattern is always followed, as the police in Freiburg warn (source: SWR). Fraudsters report on sales advertisements on eBay classifieds and pretend to be interested. However, you do not use the contact form on the website to contact us report directly via WhatsApp or SMS – if the sellers have also left a cell phone number in their ad to contact them.

To process the purchase, the criminals then suggest the “Pay safely” payment method, which is actually offered by eBay classifieds. This creates trust that is shamelessly exploited in the next step. The scammers then send out a fake link that supposedly leads to the “Pay Safely” website. The victims are supposed to enter their credit card details there in order to receive the money. The truth is However, the link does not lead to the payment page, but a deceptively real-looking copy. And with the data they have now stolen, the criminals are emptying the account.

This is how you turn your old junk on eBay into cash:

This is how users of eBay classifieds protect themselves

On the fake website, the victims are even accompanied by a support chat that again feigns trust and seriousness. That distinguishes the new scam from older ones, it says SWR. If you want to protect yourself, you should always do everything through the eBay classifieds website, never give out your cell phone number and never click on links, which alleged buyers send in messengers such as WhatsApp or via SMS. If you have already fallen for it, you should block your credit card immediately by calling 116 116.