eBay, the global marketplace dwarfed by Amazon in recent years, revived in Q2 2020. Spurred on by a seismic shift in consumer behavior, eBay's rebirth included a 29 percent increase in gross merchandise value in the second quarter. In the same quarter, a 54% increase in eBay Unique Phishing URLs, placing eBay on the list of the top 20 brands counterfeited in phishing attacks for 2020.
The eBay Boom in 2020
The
coronavirus turned every industry upside down in 2020. Global lockdowns
and quarantine measures stopped personal shopping and led to a long-term
scarcity of resources. Consumers rushed to e-commerce platforms to stock
up on goods.
After
five consecutive quarters of declining numbers in the US, eBay was able to grow
again in the second quarter of 2020 with a 35 percent increase in gross goods
value. Worldwide, eBay added eight million new active buyers in the second
quarter. eBay responded to the shift with several measures aimed at
keeping younger consumers happy, including the introduction of a dark mode
feature and a range of socially responsible efforts.
Amazon,
whose market share of 37 percent eclipses eBay's 4 percent, won the e-commerce
war in 2020. eBay is not an Amazon, but its upward trend in 2020 has
caught the attention of cybercriminals.
The Coronavirus Sparked an Onslaught of
eBay Scams
The
shortage of personal protective equipment in 2020 sparked scammers around the
world. Corona
emails advertising
face masks and other personal protective equipment made the rounds in March. A
protective equipment scam was reported on eBay in April. Also in April, eBay removed 500,000 fraudulent
coronavirus drug listings.
In
May, eBay users reported an increasing number of refund requests in which
scammers claimed their items were lost, damaged, or important parts were
missing. eBay
users warned about
the scams on
forums,
and many of them suffered not only their wallets but also their reputations due
to the onslaught of fake refund requests.
eBay Phishing Scams
In
the wake of the coronavirus scams, an increase in phishing emails worldwide,
from 16.3 million in March to 42.3 million in April. At around the same
time, eBay phishing increased sharply.
eBay,
which was not on the Most Counterfeit Brands of the Year list in 2019, ranked
5th in 2020. In Q2, 1,579 unique eBay phishing URLs were detected. In
the third quarter, the number of URLs rose to 2,424. The term Unique
Phishing URL refers only to the URL and not to the number of phishing emails
that contain that URL, which can range in the hundreds to thousands.
An innovative eBay scam that surfaced in 2020 involved used cars, motorcycles, and RVs. All over the US, Corona has lured buyers into buying used cars without first inspecting the cars. In the fraud, the vehicles were advertised on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. After contacting the sellers, victims received eBay phishing emails instructing them to complete their purchases using eBay gift cards.
Thousands of offers appeared
on eBay in a single week in May, with many fraudulent offers being copies of legitimate
ads. A fraudulent ad for a motorhome was reportedly viewed 45,000 times on
eBay.
Current Events Inspired Targeted Attacks in
2020
Corona created a huge hustle and bustle that moved markets, unbalanced companies, and, in the case of eBay and other brands, led to an unexpected streak of luck. Cyber criminals kept a close eye on the situation and made every endeavor to target several reputable brands and their users. For the full list of the top 20 brands counterfeited in phishing attacks, as well as the phishing trends that defined the year, see our Phishers' Favorites 2020 Year In Review report.
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