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With about 181 million users worldwide, eBay is arguably the world's most popular online marketplace. As such, the San Jose, Calif., company, with its online payment unit PayPal, is among the biggest targets for online scammers--including phishers.
Phishing scams use forged Web sites that look like legitimate sites in an attempt to dupe Internet users into giving up sensitive data, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. Cybercrooks typically use spam e-mail to lure people to their Web traps. But on eBay, they also take advantage of the auction listings on the site itself.
Some of the scams run on the auction Web site are almost invisible to the untrained eye. eBay lets sellers customize their auction pages using Web programming techniques and automated tools. However, attackers are abusing this freedom to build auction pages that include a rigged listing. When potential customers click on the link, it sends them to a phishing site.
eBay is aware of such abuse of its service for trickery by cybercrooks, Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman, said Friday.
"Our sellers really use the dynamic content aspect of our listings," she said. "The benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the red skin that we have gotten."
CNET News.com reader Neal Cahill of Kansas City, Mo., said he had come across the scam. "When you click on the listing, it runs a script or small program that automatically takes you to a new page that requests login info," he wrote in an e-mail interview.
The page users are redirected to what appears to be an eBay login page, but is in fact a copy stored elsewhere--a classic phishing scam. "This page looks just like the eBay login page, only the Web address is different," Cahill wrote. The bad listings are usually for really appealing items or related to adult entertainment, he wrote.
eBay lists about 78 million items at any given time, and 6 million items are added daily, England said. The company has methods in place to fight fraud and employs about 1,000 people whose fulltime job it is to keep the marketplace safe. But sometimes a page with malicious code does get onto its Web site, she added.
"By the time something gets up there, we're usually so quick to get it and pull it down that it is really a moot point," she said. "We feel that it is not a huge concern or issue--it is miniscule."
Online fraudsters have targeted eBay and PayPal for years using a variety of techniques, including listing design abuse, England said. "This tactic for phishers has been around for a long time," she said.
Despite industry efforts, phishing is still on the rise, and experts predict that scams will become increasingly sophisticated. A record 9,715 phishing Web sites were spotted in January, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group.
eBay offers a browser toolbar to help protect customers against fake copies of its Web sites. The company also provides extensive security information on its Web site, including a "spoof tutorial."
See more CNET content tagged:
phishing, eBay Inc., online payment, scam, phishing Web site
I hate that company!
They are walking all over people in this world...and you people are letting them!
Re-think FeeBay!
Our company fell victim to their ending of our auctions for minor infractions while these very Phishing sites dominate the featured item listings. Pictures of naked women are the lure. If you visit the ads you fall victim to aggressive script that manipulates your system.
These ad?s go by their ?high security? measures with no problem. Their pulse page is laughable and a disgrace to it?s members. It flaunts off the wall ad?s of idiots selling a hot dog, get rich quick schemes and yes more naked women.
As for the selling of copyrighted material, knock off products etc by it?s members, FeeBay has no desire to stop this practice because their getting paid.
The most disappointing issue is, people support their flagrant disregard to it?s community by joining and forking over their hard earned money due to their greed and beliefs they can get rich quick using this global marketplace.
I hate the company but love naked women.
Dont you have something better to do with your life? Like getting one?
Dont you have something better to do with your life? Like getting one?
In Australia, the UK, Ireland and the Philippines, eBay has obscured auction bidding to the point that genuine bidders have got absolutely no chance of detecting and thereby protecting themselves from ?shill? bidding (a criminal offence in most civilised countries) by unethical vendors. Notwithstanding eBay?s statements to the contrary, this application of absolute anonymity (ie, Bidder 1, Bidder 2, etc) by eBay on these sites serves absolutely no purpose other than to deceive consumers by making even any otherwise obvious shill bidding undetectable; and the same criticism has always been applicable to eBay?s other shill bidders? facility, ?User ID kept private?. Again, notwithstanding eBay?s various pronouncements about shill bidding being banned on eBay, eBay is now effectively (and knowingly) ?aiding and abetting? such shill bidders on these sites, at the expense of consumers. A lengthy critical analysis of this matter at:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=6498345#6498345
I apologise in advance for the length of the above-linked ?rant?. If you are an unethical shill-bidding seller or a buyer who is not concerned that on the above-mentioned national sites eBay is effectively ?aiding and abetting? such shill-bidding sellers to cheat you, read no further.
For anyone that is interested, a detailed case study of a blatant shill bidder on eBay, and a comment on eBay?s apparent attitude thereto, at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=24033
- by jojokinkaid August 17, 2009 12:49 PM PDT
- There is a forum I found on the internet that is free, and helps with Ebay, PayPal, business and the law. Just post any question, the experts will answer it if it has not already been answered!
- Reply to this comment
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(16 Comments)The forum has a lot of expert advice on it. http://www.modeeworld.com/forums I found advice there about how to avoid EBAY suspensions, get past PayPal limitations, also lots of detailed help on creating your own business, getting past trademark violations, VERO and lots more. Plus general advice on how best to sell on EBAY, what sells the best, how to get the best price for your product, really everything related to EBAY and internet business.
Also advice about how EBAY really works and how PayPal really works. The inside scoop.
Beautiful forum. I was made a moderator of the forum and I love it!