Online scams have no limits and this time it is the BlaBlaCar carpooling application that is the target of the scammers.
For several weeks, users have complained about trips that never took place, but which were still billed.
In this case, it is not just a question of bogus advertisements, but of a somewhat more elaborate process. It all starts with a normal-looking ad. The crooks wait for users to take the bait and book the ride. Once the trip has been booked, the scammers wait until the last minute to cancel the trip. This has the advantage of putting travelers in a weak position, where they are stuck and no longer have time to book another trip. They are therefore more likely to fall into the trap.
The crooks can then set up the second part of their ploy.
They send a message to the traveler via a private messaging service such as WhatsApp and explain that the trip was inadvertently canceled by the app due to a bug.
Luckily, they have a link to a new identical route.
However, users are not redirected to the real BlaBlaCar site, but to a copy.
Inside this malicious web page, unsuspecting victims enter their bank details and get tricked by the crooks, who then only have to retrieve the money directly from the victim's account.
Respect safety procedures
The company was quick to speak out on the issue, saying it was "rare" cases.
BlaBlaCar ensures that it is complex for scammers to create profiles and offer credible routes for users.
Additionally, the company states that almost all of the scams are related to accounts not verified by BlaBlaCar.
The company adds actively fight against this type of scam and calls on users to be extremely careful with user profiles.
An account without any reviews should usually grab the attention of travelers.
BlaBlaCar also recommends never making payments outside of its app or official website.
If by bad luck you find yourself trapped by a similar scam, contact your bank as soon as possible and report the user to BlaBlaCar.
Miscellaneous
North: Fake police rob victims of fake police officers
World
"SIM Swap": A teenager steals more than 32 million euros in cryptocurrency by hijacking a SIM card
Cybersecurity
Transport
Personal data
Carpooling
Bank card
Fraud
Scam
High-Tech
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print