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Phishing refers to various schemes used to obtain usernames, passwords, or other confidential information. In the simplest form, people receive an email or other contact that appears to be coming from a trusted entity (eg., craigslist) and disclose details to someone who may intend to use that information for fraudulent purposes.


AVOID PHISHING SCAMS! READ THE FOLLOWING TIPS:

  • Be extremely wary of e-mails you receive when using craigslist, especially e-mails that are blank, generic, or insist on obtaining your personal information.
  • Remember that craigslist does not contact you unless you request something. For instance, when you post a craigslist ad, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Or, when you change your password, you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to do so.
  • Avoid clicking on any links in any e-mail that anyone sends you.
  • Check the URL in your browser carefully to make sure you are on the webpage that you are trying to reach.
  • NEVER respond to, and delete right away, any e-mails that you feel are suspicious.
  • If you discover ads in your account that you did not post, CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD and delete the ads.

 

Examples of common phishing scams include:

(1) Users on craigslist may receive e-mails that appear to be sent by craigslist. These e-mails may contain links to false webpages that are designed to resemble craigslist.org. These e-mails may seem threatening in nature or may indicate that there are problems with users' accounts or credit cards.

EXAMPLES:

"Important Information: CRAIGSLIST TERMS OF USE
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change, modify or otherwise alter your account at any time. Therefore your account has been blocked. To avoid deletion of your Craigslist account please Sign In by clicking here: fakewebpagethatisntcraigslist.com"

"Attention ? Read Carefully! Your craiglist account is temporarily suspended.
-> Essentially you posted the same item to multiple cities or categories, or more than once in 48 hours .
-> Your post contains a link or URL to a commercial website or auction.
-> Your ad appears to contain a phone #, email address, or URL .
Therefore, if you are the rightful account holder, click on the link below to log into your account for verification.. fakewebpagethatisntcraigslist.com"

Notice that the links in these emails redirect to a completely unrelated webpage. NEVER click on links in e-mails that ask you to log into your craigslist account. ALWAYS log in to your account by visiting the website directly at craigslist.org.

(2) Users on craigslist may receive phishing e-mails in response to their craigslist ad.

EXAMPLES: 

"Thank you for getting back with me I'm very interested in this but before I buy it I need to know if its the same one I'm looking for because I can't afford another mistake
Please check out this video here I uploaded, which i am looking to buy
WATCH VIDEO [link to fake scam webpage]
If its the same one I will be there today to buy it"

"I got your e-mail for the apartment.  I apologize I couldn't answer your e-mail faster, but I have just been overwhelmed with all the responses.   To set up a showing please forward me your yearly income and an updated credit score. Make sure that your credit score is recent (at least 1 week old).
Use the link below to check your credit score if you are not sure of what it is. This score is up to date and free.
fakewebpagethatisntcraigslist.com
Send me this info ASAP, this way I can set up a show date. Thank you"

Notice that the links in these emails redirect to a completely unrelated webpage. NEVER click on links in e-mails that ask you to log into your craigslist account. ALWAYS log in to your account by visiting the website directly at craigslist.org.

 

(3) Users on craigslist may receive a false e-mail, purportedly from a staff member or craigslist official, telling them that they won a contest for a free iPad, washer/dryer, or other valuable item. These false e-mails may try to collect users' personal information.

EXAMPLE:

"Attention Craigslist User,
My name is Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist. We have recently partnered up with Apple for a one-time promotional event and on June 7th, 2010 (today), we are giving away free Apple iPads to randomly selected people who have posted an ad in the "Housing" section of Craigslist. You have been chosen as one of our latest winners for today.  We randomly select numbers to match up with ads on Craigslist and your ad matched with our latest drawing. All you need to do is CLICK HERE [fakewebsitethatisntcraiglist.com] to visit our site made for this promotion and enter your Zip Code to get yours for free. Just make sure
you enter your Zip-Code so we can locate our records to ensure that we have reserved one for you. That's it!...
Jim Buckmaster
CEO, Craigslist"

 

 

For more information on phishing, visit the links below.


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