Hackers create fake profiles on BlaBlaCar in order to extract money from users of the carpooling platform.
We know, the scams are everywhere, and it is difficult to escape them, even by taking all possible and imaginable precautions. If some are now well known and easier to avoid, new ones are nevertheless constantly emerging, and it is then very easy to be fooled. And one of the latest is one of them. This concerns users of the BlaBlaCar application, and a journalist has already paid the price. In a thread on TwitterValentin Hamon asserts that he almost fell victim to a scam. which (possibly) involves Russian hackers “, following a reservation for a Paris-Douai trip, in the North.
A well-oiled plan
When booking, nothing alarming. Until the driver cancels the race a few minutes later, and an email is sent to him stating that he will be reimbursed for the €9 spent. He then tries again, and the other driver also cancels, while an email is sent again, indicating a link on which to click leading to the BlaBlaCar site. On this page, identical in all respects to the real site, he is then asked to give his credit card code, which he will do. But once he pays, he then receives a message from his bank asking him to enter his code, for a payment of 900.89 Belarusian rubles, the equivalent of €310.
On his side BlaBlarCar gives some recommendations to avoid this situation, and stresses the importance of always studying the profile of the driver. In addition, he reminds never to click on a link from a WhatsApp account or an SMS. In this case, the company must then be informed.
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