Gumtree suffers security breach

Emails and other contact details of customers leaked

Online classifieds site Gumtree Australia has confirmed that customer information was compromised during a security incident.

The site notified customers of the attack by email. The attack took place last weekend.

“The attackers accessed the email addresses of some Gumtree users,” read a statement issued by Gumtree.

“The contact name and phone numbers of the affected Gumtree users were also accessed; however in those instances, the details were already made public on the site by the users themselves when they posted an ad. Account passwords were not accessed.

“Payment details were also not compromised; we don’t store any payment information on our site.”

The email to customers warned of potential phishing attempts using the information obtained.

The breach was an isolated event and resolved within “minutes,” Gumtree said.

The site has taken extra steps since the breach to protect user information and has notified the Australian Federal Police and privacy regulators.

“Safety and security of our community remains our number one priority and we continue to educate our users about staying safe online and identifying potential scams or phishing attempts from fraudulent parties,” the statement said.

Gumtree is owned by eBay and operates in 76 cities across 11 countries .

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