A significant amount of customer information from the online auction site eBay has been traded on a Russian website at a “bargain” price. Once armed with usernames and passwords, scammers can list items for sale, collect payments, but buyers will never receive their goods.
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Screenshot of the listing on the Russian website. |
The security firm Sunbelt Software (USA) discovered this site on March 21 and immediately notified eBay. A spokesperson for the online auction site stated that they have collaborated with a local Internet service provider to shut down the website. However, she did not disclose how many accounts were sold or which customers became victims. The site also provided some information about the online payment system PayPal.
This website sold accounts that had not been frequently logged into, meaning users would not quickly notice any unusual activities in their transactions. The price for these accounts ranged from $5 to $25. A check of the Whois database revealed that the website was registered on December 2, 2005, and is believed to belong to a company in Cypress, California (USA).
Alex Eckelberry, President of Sunbelt, noted that the website likely collected data through phishing attacks or used Trojans containing keylogging software. He also confirmed that the sale of such information has become relatively common.
T.N.
