Fake listings can turn trusted platforms into scam springboards

Recently, we found a listing on BuzzFeed from someone pretending to be Malwarebytes Support. It reminded us why we need to be cautious about content on platforms where anyone can create an entry.

Based on the phone number, we suspect the people behind this listing are trying to draw callers into a tech support scam . The scammer may use social engineering to persuade victims to grant remote access to their devices.

This is not Malwarebytes’ phone number

At first glance, this kind of lure can look convincing. It borrows the familiarity of a well-known publication, uses a recognizable security brand, and may appear in an ad placement or search result where people expect to find legitimate information.

But the combination of a trusted platform and a trusted brand does not make something trustworthy.

The phone number in the listing has also been used in similar scams impersonating McAfee and Norton.

Don’t recognize that number? We’ll check it.

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Scammers do not always need to build a convincing website from scratch. They can use platforms that let people create listings, ads, storefronts, pages, reviews, or posts, relying on the platform’s reputation to do part of the work for them.

How scammers borrow a platform’s credibility

The whole point of online marketplaces and social media is to make it easy for people to create posts and listings.

Someone wants to sell an old camera, a handcrafted item, a digital product, or perhaps offer a service. They create an account, fill out a form, add a few photos, write a description, and make their listing visible to a huge audience.

You can imagine how attractive this is to scammers.

Our own research found that 47% of people encountered scams on social media at least once a week, while 36% encountered them on buying-and-selling platforms.

Recently, we found a listing on BuzzFeed from someone pretending to be Malwarebytes Support. It reminded us why we need to be cautious about content on platforms where anyone can create an entry.

Based on the phone number, we suspect the people behind this listing are trying to draw callers into a tech support scam . The scammer may use social engineering to persuade victims to grant remote access to their devices.

This is not Malwarebytes’ phone number

At first glance, this kind of lure can look convincing. It borrows the familiarity of a well-known publication, uses a recognizable security brand, and may appear in an ad placement or search result where people expect to find legitimate information.

But the combination of a trusted platform and a trusted brand does not make something trustworthy.

The phone number in the listing has also been used in similar scams impersonating McAfee and Norton.

Don’t recognize that number? We’ll check it.

CHECK NOW

Scammers do not always need to build a convincing website from scratch. They can use platforms that let people create listings, ads, storefronts, pages, reviews, or posts, relying on the platform’s reputation to do part of the work for them.

How scammers borrow a platform’s credibility

The whole point of online marketplaces and social media is to make it easy for people to create posts and listings.

Someone wants to sell an old camera, a handcrafted item, a digital product, or perhaps offer a service. They create an account, fill out a form, add a few photos, write a description, and make their listing visible to a huge audience.

You can imagine how attractive this is to scammers.