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Attacks Targeting Classified Ad Sites Surge

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the when-it-doubt-don't-click dept.

wiredmikey writes "Despite spam levels being at their lowest since March 2009, metrics released by the APWG indicate that cybercriminals are cultivating an array of alternative attack schemes, and in particular, increasing attacks on the online classified services sector with phishing attacks. Though the online payment services sector remained the most targeted industry with 38 percent of detected attacks in Q2, the classified ads services sector experienced rapid growth in phishing attacks."

5 of 22 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Vector not relevent by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    In the mean time when they are shifting they get a lot of people who are unaccustom to that new method

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. Re:Vector not relevent by Fibe-Piper · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Exactly. Spam isn't down at all. It's just shifted over to something else. Something more akin to direct attacks on the infrastructure, as opposed to social engineering and user interaction that spam email requires.

    Totally agree. The line between phishing and spamming may be blurred somewhat and the consequences or rate of apprehension is probably the same or similar.

    If true, I doubt there is an incentive for people to sell the contraband enlargement pharmaceuticals when the payoff for a successful phishing attack would be much more lucrative

    --
    I went to battle M.C. Escher, but drew a blank.
  3. Dregslist Called To Say 'SHHHHHHHHH'. by tunapez · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dregslist thrives on this kind of flotsam, has for a long time. Anyone care to estimate how small they would be if they got rid of the ID thieves anonymously requesting resumes from the Jobs section, the fencers postng hot and worthless chit(my fav:Windows disks with used OEM keys) in the For Sale section, the rogue repeat posters who get away with posting the same ads 20 times a day every day of the week for products/services akin to spam subject lines, and, of course, there's the would-be far-away buyers who need your bank account number to transfer you the funds sitting in the wings.

    I'd go out on a limb and estimate a good 50%- 65% of Dregslist For Sale, Jobs and Gigs are scams, dregs and/or repeats. How is this newsworthy other than the fact that Dreg is doing nothing to stop it while profiting hugely?

    --
    Imagination drew in bold strokes, instantly serving hopes and fears, while knowledge advanced by slow increments...
    1. Re:Dregslist Called To Say 'SHHHHHHHHH'. by timeOday · · Score: 2
      I think it's a pity because I really like Craigslist - I like their attitude of keeping a clean, functional page, not clogging it with all kinds of links and ads all over.

      And yet the *users* of craigslist are the typical dreck, and they're destroying the site. Last time I emailed about a laptop that looked like a good deal, I got a response that "gosh, it just sold to a nice couple, but I originally got it at this great auction site xyz.com for even less!" Between all the scammers, and those who are simply too lazy to answer their email or taken down a listing after something has sold, it's hardly worth it for anything smaller than several hundred dollars.

      Ebay is sort of the opposite (hyper-monitizing, expensive to use, cluttered pages, sometimes heavy-handed paypal policing) - but at least auctions end at a specific time, and if you buy at a fixed price, the item actually exists and does show up at your door (IME, YMMV). Maybe Craig Newmark is just too nice a guy.

  4. Re:Vector not relevent by gilleain · · Score: 2

    All scams are essentially the same, regardless of how they are delivered. Filtering them is a life skill.

    True, but the scammers on gumtree (at least) that target flat adverts seem more sophisticated than the usual "DEAR BLESSED SIR..." 419 email scams.

    I've now learned some simple - possibly obvious - indicators:

    • Flat available from today (or yesterday in a few cases).
    • Very low rent for the location, considering 'all bills included' and the amenites.
    • A quite specific one, but strange phrases like "Take care of the flat as it is" (translation quirk perhaps?) or 'sumptuous'

    Of course, the clincher was when they replied to my query with a request for a £500 ($810) a deposit by Western Union before seeing the flat. The excuse was "people waste my time by arranging viewings without the money to pay the rent" which is absolute bullshit - there's no way I would ask someone for a deposit without providing something (like house keys) in exchange. A quick google found the same MO in other people's warnings on forums

    Less sophisticated, however, was the pair of posts that used the same image for the flat, but in different places in the city. Not suspicious at all, oh no.