Suspicious Emails & Phishing Scams

Please beware of the following phishing scams

WhatsApp/Text messages sent to sellers, indicating that funds for the item they are selling have been paid to them through a Gumtree shipping and delivery or FedEx service. Sellers are then asked to enter their credit card details to receive the funds.

Emails telling users that their accounts have been deactivated/unread emails will be removed. The emails state that customers’ accounts will be suspended if they do not follow a link or that they will lose all their emails permanently.

Emails/Messages asking users to click on a specific link to verify their account or their account will be closed. When users click on the link they will be asked to enter their Credit Card details.

Please be aware that these are phishing scams attempting to obtain sensitive information

Gumtree will never ask you for any personal information such as banking, credit card information, or login details over the phone, WhatsApp, text or email. Gumtree will not suspend any user account that adheres to our policies.

Examples:

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

If you do receive such a reply, please delete it and do not respond. Do not click on links, enter personal information or download attachments from suspicious emails.

If you receive a suspicious reply or WhatsApp message, please report the user on WhatsApp and delete the message. Do not respond. Do not click on links, enter personal information or download attachments from suspicious emails.

If you have received such an email or text message and submitted your banking or credit card details to them, please notify your bank immediately and inform them that you may have been the victim of a phishing scam.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact our Helpdesk. They are always happy to answer any and all queries you may have.

Learn more about these deceptions below, as well as what you can do to keep yourself secure

Be sure to stay vigilant, as scammers target users with phishing emails and phone calls designed to trick you into downloading malicious software, exposing confidential information.

Be wary of urgent phone calls with requests for sensitive information, WhatsApp messages and emails that contain any of the following:

• An unfamiliar or strange-looking email address
• Urgent requests for you to click a link to verify or update your account information (or for any other reason)
• Instructions to download an attachment, open a document or view a screen capture/image
• URL links in WhatsApp messages to enter Credit card details
• Urgent requests for you to provide sensitive information about yourself
• Spelling or grammatical errors
• Unusual or unexpected words or phrases