Gumtree will never ask you to confirm your bank or credit card details. We also won't ask you to confirm your account details after you've registered by retyping your password into the site.
A common strategy by fraudsters is to make it look like an email is coming from a reliable source and ask you for sensitive personal details. They'll provide a link to a site that looks almost identical to Gumtree and ask you to log in. Once you've entered your account information the fraudsters have got it.
In order to protect the security of your account, it’s also important to be able to recognize phishing attempts and spoof sites. Phishing is a term used when fraudulent individuals try to gain access to personal account details in order to commit fraud.
Spoofs are websites or emails that attempt to mimic a particular company in order to trick users into providing their information. Most phishing attempts come in the form of spoof sites or emails.
Fraudsters go to great lengths to mimic real companies. They can use logos, similar email addresses and even the names of employees to appear more realistic.
Learning to spot phishing attempts comes down to recognizing when you are dealing with the true organization, and when it may be a spoof. Here a few key signs to watch out for:
Alarmist statements
In an attempt to get users to act quickly, fraudsters often start messages with urgent claims such as “Your Account has been disabled. Change your password now to regain access or it will be deleted.” These can also be positive statements, such as “You’ve qualified for a discount! Confirm your account information now to receive free features!”
Asking for confidential Information
In order to gain access to your accounts, fraudsters ask for passwords, bank account or credit card information. Please note that our teams will never request this type of personal account information over email. We will also never send password reset emails unless you’ve specifically requested one through the “Forgot your Password?” button on the GAIT login page.
Bad Spelling and Grammar
Many phishing attempts come from overseas, and often use odd phrasing, incorrect spelling or bad grammar.
Suspicious Email Addresses
You can also easily check where an email is really coming from. Any emails sent to you by Gumtree will come from an "@gumtree.co.za" or "@mail.gumtreemail.co.za" email address. Fraudsters will "mask" their email addresses and can make it look like the message is being sent by Gumtree so it's important to check the source of the message if you're not sure.
If you use Gmail - open the message and click on the down arrow beside the reply button and click "show original".
If you use Apple Mail - open the message and click "view" then "message" and then "all headers".
If you use Outlook or Hotmail - open the message and click "actions" then "view message source".
If you use Yahoo - open the message and click "full headers" below the email.
Once you've opened up the source information you'll be able to see the email address used to send the message.
Legitimate Gumtree emails will come from "@gumtree.co.za" or "@mail.gumtreemail.co.za" addresses.
If the message was sent by anything other than the ones mentioned hereabove, please let us know right away.
You can delete the email and you can "report" the email as being spam to your email service.
Spotting a Spoof Site
Whenever you are asked to enter in your password, double check the URL of the page.
It should begin with https://www.gumtree.co.za if accessing Gumtree or
https://gait.gumtree.co.za/Index.aspx if logging into GAIT
If you don’t see the S in https:// don’t click! Many browsers also have a secure connection symbol that will appear next to the URL as a small lock icon.
When asked to use a link within an email you can hover over it before clicking to see the true URL. Depending on what browser or email application you’re using, you may see this at the bottom of your window, or as a pop up next to your cursor. If it looks suspicious, don’t click.
If you receive an email that looks suspicious and is asking you for account details, the best bet is to go directly to the website and log in from there, rather than any links in the email itself.
If you receive an email that you’re unsure of or you see unusual activity on your account, please contact our Business Support team for more information at storessupport@gumtree.co.za.