eBay scam listings redirect users to phishing websites

Scam listings on eBay have been spotted in recent times, redirecting users to a phishing website in an attempt to get their login credentials. A user would click on a link, only to be taken to a website that looked identical to eBay — unfortunately, more than one listing was discovered.

According to the BBC, eBay was notified about a listing for an iPhone 5s that redirected users to a scam website, and after 12 or so hours, the auction service pulled the malicious post. The company has been criticized for taking so long to remove it.

A spokesperson for eBay said in a statement that the issue referred to a single listing, but the BBC is reporting that others exist with the same redirect scam. Following news about this issue, some eBay users surfaced stating they've come across the same type of scams, and the BBC's own digging around discovered some from multiple users.

Ebay responded in a follow-up statement with the BBC, with a company spokesperson saying, "This is not a new type of vulnerability on sites such as eBay ... we are aware that active content may also be used in abusive ways." Ebay says it has protections in place for this sort of thing, but many are criticizing the company for not being more proactive about the issue.

SOURCE: BBC