Beware of fraud on second-hand platforms

  Second-hand platforms such as Vinted, willhaben, Shpock or eBay continue to be in the focus of cyber-criminals. As outlined in our warning of 14 April, newly registered sellers are contacted by criminals via the platform's integrated chat function. The criminals pretend to be potential buyers and ask for your email address. This is to shift communication away from the (secure) platform to email. 

  If you follow this request, you receive an email with a link to a "sales processing” page. This link leads to a fake website in the design of the sales platform, on which it is claimed that the seller's bank account still needs to be "verified". However, the purpose of this phishing page is solely to obtain your confidential information and s Identity authorisation. 

   Therefore, be careful: 

• If prospective buyers contact you very quickly 
• If you are asked for your email address to complete a purchase (note: Vinted also warns against giving away private information in a chat, such as email addresses)   
• If you are asked to carry out "test transactions" or to "verify your bank account" 

How can you protect yourself? 

• If you are new to a sales platform, read the information about the purchase process on the website of the respective sales platform - this way you’ll be in the know and can quickly spot suspicious requests 
• Do not authorise transactions or transfers that you have not started yourself.  
• In s Identity, check precisely each time what is being authorised  - read more in our security tips