Ebay, Gumtree & Autotrader Vehicle / Car Scams

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

The two main 'drivers' behind car advert frauds in the UK are the ease with which fraudulent adverts can be posted on ad sites and the proliferation of bank accounts opened in the UK for the purpose of receiving stolen funds.

The problem is exacerbated on the Autotrader UK ad site because the criminals regularly hack/phish car dealer log-ins to insert fraudulent adverts on their pages, making them look even more credible.

It's impossible to underestimate the risk any company is under if any part of it's computer system can be penetrated in this way. They may not directly suffer any monetary loss from having their pages 'hacked', though it's folly to ignore the harm this does them, but the potential risks are alarming because it demonstrates how insecure their computer systems and procedures are. Quite simply a business could wake up one morning with their bank account cleared, and actually it makes more sense for a scammer to defraud the car dealer that waste time on their customers.

http://news.techworld.com/security/3...ds-palo-alto/?

24 July 2014
Nigerian 419 scammers diversifying into Trojan malware, finds Palo Alto

The object appears to be to steal logins for anything and everything.

The larger point is that the tools on offer are powerful enough to evade AV, can be rented on one PC for as little as $40 for six months and can be used to pave the way for more complex payloads. Low-level criminals tiring of trying to make a living using well-rehearsed but increasingly ineffective 419 email scams have noticed the new opportunity.

This will arrive in the UK and companies that aren't secure will lose large amounts of money.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

As victims of this crime/fraud will be aware, they have little recourse when they lose money, and little effort appears to be made to address what is a considerable risk in using online ad sites. The most effective frauds don't rely on just one weakness in systems but a combination of weaknesses that can be combined to make a transaction appear regular. For instance, if these fraudulent adverts relied on payment being made by a cash payment system like Western Union their success rate would be considerably reduced. The reliable availability of 'one time use' throwaway money laundering bank accounts is the second weakness that makes this fraud possible.

I concentrate on Autotrader UK simply because many of the fraudulent adverts are inserted on to dealer pages through phishing/hacking dealer accounts and the average person would not identify these as being fraudulent.

This article gives some insight in to how the criminal does this

http://myonlinesecurity.co.uk/autotr...ails-phishing/

From other sources I have read that usually the pretext for the phishing attempt is ironically a security alert from a 'spoofed' source appearing to be Autotrader UK and the fatal mistake is to log on to their Autotrader UK account using the link in the email which leads to a 'spoofed' page which simply exists to collect log-in details.

Most dealers probably consider that losing sales and getting extra charges on their Autotrader UK account are the only risks involved, but the risks are much greater. especially as now the criminals are setting up email accounts to mimic the dealer's own name. I presume that access to the dealer's Autotrader UK account gives the criminal access to their bank account details because that's what generates the adverts and the charges. Aside from the fact that a company already 'phished' once has now supplied a criminal with precise details to launch a specific targeted phishing attempt on their bank account, the criminal is now well equipped to impersonate them to their own bank.

The fact is that these criminals are putting a lot of effort in to defrauding individuals of between £2,000 - £5,000 when actually they are getting information that sets themselves up to launch targeted attacks on the dealers themselves for considerably larger amounts. Considering that most bank account phishing attempts are random because they don't know the recipient's bank, being able to quote the target's specific bank details enables a much more plausible attack and, if you've fallen for one phishing attack you are vulnerable.

I'm unaware of this happening but I'm sure that it will. Even if they don't do it themselves they will have compiled a large database of companies, their bank accounts and contact details that they can sell on to other criminals. If companies get wiped out, the authorities will take note perhaps.

[porlu69]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Can you forward the full invoice ? Because i think that i have been scammed when i see this , yesterday i send £5800 and the invoice in similar ... can you please e-mail me at : porlu69@aol.com
Thank you very much !

PayPal representative Bank account* : Payment details:

Bank Name: TSB Account number: 21282468 Sort code: 30-90-59 Beneficiary Name: Leopold Timken *Bacs, CHAPS and Faster Payments are accepted. Invoice#: 1714519 Subtotal: £2,400.00 Shipping(Free): £0.00 Deposit: £0.00 Total: £2,400.00

I'm sure you have probably seen this whole email but if not let me know and i will forward a copy so all know what to look out for[/QUOTE]

[Amethyst]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

If you sent money yesterday and feel that it may be a scam you MUST get in touch with your bank straight away and report the bank account your transferred the money TO to that bank. Often the money is removed from the account within a couple hours of it being paid in so it is unlikely it will still be there.

If you post a copy of the invoice you paid and any other details about the ''purchase'' link to listing, bank details etc etc then people will be able to give you a view on whether you have been victim of a scam.

[porlu69]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I have reported but the money has already pick up ... i lost it , and i deleted the invoice , i not find it anymore for that reason i ask if he can send it to me to show to the police

If you sent money yesterday and feel that it may be a scam you MUST get in touch with your bank straight away and report the bank account your transferred the money TO to that bank. Often the money is removed from the account within a couple hours of it being paid in so it is unlikely it will still be there.

If you post a copy of the invoice you paid and any other details about the ''purchase'' link to listing, bank details etc etc then people will be able to give you a view on whether you have been victim of a scam.

[Guest]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

It's very frustrating to see people losing money in spite of all the hard work that is being done behind the scenes. Trouble is, it's behind the scenes for the victims too; they don't know about this 'underground movement' until it's too late

porlu69 : I've had a look back over the past couple of weeks and can't find anything with a tag of £5800 on eBay or Gumtree, so was this an AutoTrader advert you responded to? More details please - as much as possible.

[porlu69]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

The car was on Autotrader and after 1 hour the announce was deleted because he tell me that i take it and he delete it from the web site , and say me that we do the transaction on paypal , and send me a paypal invoice and in the invoice was the bank account from Barclays Bank and i pay if from my online account and after that not have any respond i call the bank to cancel the transfer but they say that the money is already in the account and was pick up , they block the account from the person and now say that is on investigate, and i not know why i not find the paypal invoice in my account to show you and to the police , for that reason i ask that person to send me the invoice that he receive it in past because is the same invoice , and only now i have seen this post , i lose £5800 and i am very upset !

[Amethyst]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Was the invoice sent to your email address? Have you checked your deleted/junk folder?

[Tools]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

What date and time did you send payment to that account?

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Obviously with my background, interest and research into the fraudulent adverts being posted on Autotrader UK I know more than I say and I can make reasonable assumptions about what's happening. As much as Autotrader UK and the car dealers they serve are businesses, the fraudsters who abuse both have almost achieved the status of criminal businesses after operating for nearly ten years with no sign of their activities stopping any time soon. The way they operate is entirely predictable and they work to a timetable which means that the 'foot soldiers' can be delegated with the mundane tasks without knowing the entirety of the operation, allowing a perfect 'command and control' function by those behind it who can remain at arm's length and yet remain in control of the stolen money.

On Autotrader UK the fraudulent adverts appear in one of two forms - either inserted into dealer pages through phishing/hacking dealer accounts on Autotrader UK or they appear as what i term 'singletons' which appear to be set up by individual sellers. The means by which dealer accounts are phished/hacked is fully documented and known, and it's amazing that anything up to 10 dealer accounts have been hacked each day. It's therefore very unwise to chide victims for being so silly as to fall for these frauds when some major UK companies can so easily have their accounts phished.

Though the dealers don't lose money directly from having their Autotrader UK accounts phished/hacked. clearly they are liable to lose sales to the fraudsters and, of course, their real sales appear over-priced next to the those inserted by the fraudster. At the same time, when other dealer accounts are phished/hacked their vehicles appear over-priced next to them and will lose out in any search by a potential buyer, so they are not only adversely affected by what happens to their own account, but also their competitors. As this happens daily, the fraudsters are the main competitors of all car dealers on Autotrader UK. Another problem caused by the fraudsters is that the car dealer has to mend the wreckage of their pages and, as I have noted today, it isn't always done properly leading to their sales being disrupted over several days. If passwords aren't changed the fraudster will continue to use the account for his purposes as has happened more than once.

More significantly to the dealer I must presume that the fraudulently inserted adverts will generate a charge to the dealer from Autotrader UK, effectively meaning that the dealer is paying for the privilege of losing sales and promoting the fraudster's vehicles. More of a concern is that the fraudster has access to the means by which the dealer pays for his adverts. I'll get back to this point later. Though the dealer hasn't had his bank account details phished/hacked, the fact that the account is connected to a means of payment, makes it almost equally valuable to a criminal.

The 'singleton' adverts are of interest as there are only a few methods that can be used to insert them, most of which can be discounted by deduction. They could be:-
1. paying for them by a valid card - very unlikely.
2. paying for them by stolen card details - also unlikely.
3. phishing/hacking the Autotrader UK site - unlikely.

The only viable means by which the criminal can insert the 'singleton' adverts is by setting up new accounts using payment credentials taken from hacked/phished car dealer accounts on Autotrader UK. Obviously the process by which the car dealer then has to attempt to obtain refunds for bogus adverts posted on their own pages, let alone those inserted under other identities, if indeed they can obtain refunds, must keep them busy and presumably, they would be wise to change their account/card with their bank. Beyond that the car dealer is at risk from having their card details misused elsewhere.

The problem is that their Autotrader UK account is bound to provide details of, and access to their payment details, and enable it to be viewed and/or amended and there is no reason why this should not be so, as logically only the car dealer has access to it.

[righty]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

How about taking this scandal to the national press They'd love to give Barclays (the prime facilitator of this con) another well deserved kicking

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

Not only does the situation make a laughing stock of UK money laundering legislation and/or the FCA 'righty', both pretty much held in low repute anyway, but commercially it's something any bank should wish to avoid association with as a fundamental objective. Not only does association with accounts used in fraud tarnish a bank's reputation but it also makes other account holders potential targets for the fraudsters.

I don't want to go in to too much detail, and there have been some major recent examples, but it's always easiest to transfer money within a branch/bank than it is to transfer between banks so the location of money laundering accounts will always put other accounts held there in jeopardy. Banks put less checks and restrictions on internal transfers. It's the 'gatekeeper flaw' I've mentioned previously. If your initial procedures fail, subsequent checks assume they're perfect and open up system weaknesses that are easily exploited.

The accounts most vulnerable to this type of fraud also happen to be some of the most lucrative to banks and it won't take too many mishaps for everyone to realise what's going on. Banks must be thankful that the fraudsters currently targeting ad sites and banks aren't very sophisticated because when they learn to fully exploit the bank accounts they open, the UK financial system will have serious problems. UK fraudsters will always be caught because they have a home-based identity anyone can trace, but with foreign fraudsters using fake ID's, victims and banks won't get their money back.

I wouldn't use an insecure bank or an insecure ad site. The surprise is that some people do.

[righty]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

all i do is goto escrow-fraud.com/search.php , then just copy and paste onto here , jst to add to your thread boycie (878 ) , i would imagine that if a victim informs the bank of a fradulant transaction (mule account ) and the bank does not close the account down and is used again well i am certain the second victim would be re-imbursed by the bank. Due to data (CRIMINAL ) PROTECTION LAWS i as a victim don't or won't know if the account used by the fraudsters was used before, only the police can obtain that information and with 3500 victims (as at jan 14) probably well over 4000 now ) will the authorities look at ALL BANK ACCOUNTS USED ??, AS YOU SAY BOYCIE THE FRAUDSTERS SEEM TO USE THE ACCOUNT ONCE BUT WHO KNOWS ??, My question to all users/readers of the thread including tools is as i have stated the bank has millions of accounts and they say "we didn't know it was going to be used for fraudulant purposes therefore sorry but go away please", so in other words there asses are covered , so what excuse can ebay/gumtree/autotrader use?? , they clearly know whats happening to USERS OF THERE SITES DAILY and clearly know its occuring right under there noses , they (AD SITES ) are AWARE that criminals are using there logo/trademark to gain the confidence of potential victims and ARE AWARE that FRAUD/MONEY LAUNDERING IS GOING TO HAPPEN EVEN BEFORE ITS TAKEN PLACE !! THAT SURLEY CAN'T BE RIGHT ?? AND ILLEAGLE???

I have stated this repeatedly and I know they do it all the time BUT the DPA EXPRESSELY forbids its use to conceal criminal activity AND anyone doing so (such as the banks) may themselves be guilty of an offence If they do so tell them you'll report them for money laundering. Having done it myself you may be surprised at their reaction

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

I know that one member of this forum has advised me that she has taken the issue up with her Euro MP and I would urge all victims to do the same with their MP. As the situation stands it appears that all involved parties are happy to allow matters to remain they are, which is unacceptable. If banks or ad sites were losing money they'd be lightning fast in imposing new procedures and they'd put pressure on the police to take effective action.

When I see banks attempting to portray themselves on TV adverts as the benign helping hand to get the elderly on the internet, I feel the urge to wretch, and I spent my whole life in banking. When you consider the fines imposed on this and other banks I would seriously call in the police if they approached my elderly mother with any such attempt. Considering that news reports indicated that one major bank was 'hacked' perhaps they aren't the right people to give others lessons.

Hopefully I'll pick up a couple more fraudulent bank accounts this week and I'll post up details. Even if they come from my old bank I'll post them up, but odds are I know where they'll come from.

[Boycie]

Re: Ebay & Gumtree Vehicle / Car Scams

The simple fact is that if consumers deal with organisations, whether it be banks or ad sites that are overrun with scammers and criminals, they put themselves at risk of losing money. The answer therefore is quite simple - don't use them.

The FCA is woefully hopeless and the UK financial industry fears the US regulatory authorities far more than those in the UK. A French bank has virtually been put into liquidation after crossing the US and, apart from imposing fines in the billions of dollars, the US simply bans banks from using their markets and I believe they also banned one bank from using US dollars. I can't comprehend how a bank could function with those sorts of sanctions but it shows how tough US regulators are. In the UK fines by the FCA are usually paid out of petty cash by banks in the rare instances they take action. The outstanding point being that in most of the recent major transgressions by UK banks the FCA was inert and they were ignored by the US who steamrollered over the top of them as if they didn't exist.

If your account is held at a a bank, or more specifically a branch, that is where criminals open accounts for use in fraud, then your account is at greater risk of suffering loss through fraud. Accounts with high balances and company accounts are at most risk as they are the most tempting targets, but branches where there is high criminal activity are liable to attract more attempts to compromise the cards of all customers.

I bought nearly ten cars last night so I'd better make some space on the drive but, if I can keep them all going, I should have a lot of details to post up. If I can make bulk purchases once a week, or more, then it has a disruptive benefit and will provide interesting material to research how they operate - the scripts they use and the wording, mail accounts, fake websites and money laundering accounts. I've begin posting one up at SW but I don't want to risk burning more than one of my baits. I know they monitor me at SW but hopefully not here. Even if they do, what they discover will make them work harder and I can vary what I do to make my purchases harder to detect.