Awareness and caution are the defense against the increasingly sophisticated methods of online fraudsters

Maintaining security during online purchases is a common interest, as the methods of fraudsters are constantly becoming more sophisticated. While hundreds of thousands of successful and problem-free transactions took place on Jófogás during the year, there were 525 cases that were related to abuse. Although this number is insignificant compared to the turnover, special attention must still be paid to prevention and education in the interests of user safety. The data shows that fraudsters still rely on classic emotional manipulation and inattention, but their messages generated with the help of AI now seem much more believable than before, which is why we need to pay more attention to our security than ever before. The vast majority of the cases studied could have been prevented with due care and increased user vigilance.

The classic traps: advance transfer and phishing

According to last year’s data, advance transfer fraud and phishing are still the most prominent in the criminals’ toolkit. In the former case, the fraudster – bypassing the official channels of the platform – requests a direct transfer, and then becomes unreachable after the money is received. During phishing, they try to obtain bank card or login details using tricky methods. A common method is to request the seller’s email address when registering for the ad, to which a link to a seemingly authentic website – perhaps imitating the Jófogás interface – is then sent. Here, the unsuspecting seller is asked for their bank card details, lying that the purchase price has already been paid and that providing the data is necessary to receive the money.

This is how to avoid damage

A dedicated security team on the classifieds page constantly filters ads and monitors suspicious user activity. Confirming this and against advance payment tricks, Jófogás’s other defense is the new customer protection service. Payment within the system guarantees that the transaction remains closed and verified: the purchase price is only transferred to the seller when the product has actually arrived at the buyer. This solution protects both parties and makes the use of uncertain external links unnecessary.

The third pillar of security is user vigilance. It can be a warning sign if the partner firmly refuses to accept the payment in person or wants to continue the conversation outside the Jófogás interface at all costs (for example, in an external messaging application or via email). If, after clicking on a link, the site asks for the confidential data of our bank card (for example, the CVC code or PIN code) in order to “receive” the money, we can be sure that we are dealing with a fraudster.

However, the most important rule remains communication and transaction management within the platform. If the problem does occur, Jófogás customer service will help the victim, but the actual procedure must be initiated with the authorities. The marketplace will provide all available digital evidence to the investigating authorities, which, however, will only lead to results if the parties have not navigated away from the site’s protected system.

“With the rise of AI-based technologies, fraudsters are no longer necessarily trying technical tricks, but also perfectly formulated, authentic-looking messages. No matter how much we constantly improve our defense systems or maintain a dedicated team of experts, the vigilance of our users is the most powerful weapon against cybercriminals. Our goal is for everyone to recognize suspicious signs and know how to keep their money and data safe anywhere on the web.”

– said Balázs Várkonyi, CEO of Jófogás and Vatera.