7:18 pm, September 23, 2010
One of the 'phishing' emails
A NUMBER of dealers advertising on AutoTrader.co.uk say they have been victims of ‘hackers’.
Car Dealer has been inundated with calls and emails from dealers who say they have been the subject of ‘phishing’ emails from conmen.
The dealers say they have been sent an email from hackers – which says they’ve had an ‘offer’ on one of their cars – but when they log in via the email the scammers add fake cars for sale to their accounts.
These cars are offered at unbelievably attractive prices and the scammers attempt to con a deposit out of potential buyers, one of the victims told us.
One dealer from Lancashire added: ‘The email looks to come from Auto Trader Dealer Portal, the back end of the site where traders add cars.
‘The one sent to me had a picture of a Toyota Yaris and asked me to log in to my account. I smelt a rat, but know of many others who haven’t been so lucky. I suggest dealers are careful about logging into their accounts via emails.’
Auto Trader says it is currently ‘looking into it’ and will offer advice to its dealers as soon as it knows more about the situation. A spokesman for the website said the company was investigating the complaints and taking them very seriously.
As soon as we know more, we’ll update you. In the meantime, if you’ve been the subject of the hackers we’d like to hear from you. Get in touch via the Contact Us page.
