An alleged interested party suggested to the woman that she pay 100 euros and hand over the goods using the “PayLivery” payment option. AK consumer advocates Herwig Hoefferer warns: “Consumers are being lured away from the official classifieds platform via a fake link. Bank details are requested on the fake website. Instead of the receipt of payment, the debit follows”.
Fake link sent
A woman from Carinthia offered a handbag on the platform for 100 euros. After a short time, a supposedly interested buyer got in touch over the weekend. WhatsApp traffic quickly developed and the consumer was offered payment via “PayLivery”. The woman received a “willingness link” on WhatsApp and was thus able to access the deceptively real “PayLivery website” on which she disclosed her bank details. Communication broke off immediately.
Deceptively Real Scam
“The consumer became suspicious and immediately blocked the ATM card online and contacted the bank’s blocking hotline. Already on the following working day, 15 minutes before the bank opened, an amount of 500 euros was debited,” explains Höfferer, emphasizing: “The scams are becoming more and more sophisticated. Before the alleged transaction, the woman even received a copy of her passport as proof of her identity and the website of Willhaben.at’s ‘PayLivery’ offer was deceptively real.”
“In case of suspicion, notify the bank immediately”
AK President Gunther Goach: “If you have the feeling that you have fallen victim to online fraud, you should contact your bank or credit card company immediately and ask whether the payment can be stopped or recovered. In addition, you should immediately file a criminal complaint with the police free of charge!”
