Malwarebytes found a listing that appeared to impersonate its support team. A familiar website does not make every phone number, link, or repair offer on it safe.
What to know
- A listing on a well-known website can still contain a fake support number or link.
- Be cautious with unusually cheap security software, repair services, account recovery, and device support.
- Verify support details through the company’s official website, official app, or a saved bookmark.
- Never give an unsolicited support agent remote access to your computer.
- If you already called or allowed access, disconnect the device, remove remote-access software, and protect payment and account details.
Why a familiar website is not enough
Malwarebytes says it recently found a BuzzFeed listing from someone pretending to be Malwarebytes Support. Based on the phone number, Malwarebytes suspects the people behind the listing may have been trying to draw callers into a tech support scam.
The listing used a familiar publication, a recognizable security brand, and a place where people might expect to find useful information. Malwarebytes says the phone number was not its support number. The same number had also appeared in scams impersonating McAfee and Norton.
A platform’s address, design, reviews, or security certificate does not prove that every post or listing on it is safe. Scammers can use marketplaces, classified sites, social networks, ad networks, and review sites to borrow trust.
How a listing can lead to a scam
Some fake listings offer products that do not exist or ask buyers to pay outside the platform. Others are only the first step in a larger scheme.
Malwarebytes lists fake offers for antimalware software, device cleaning, PC repair, account recovery, and support for printers, routers, smart TVs, or smartphones. A listing may include a phone number or an outside link, sometimes with a low price or a free trial that requires a call.
The goal may be to get someone to call, visit another website, install remote-access software, or share payment details. Social engineering, which means manipulating someone into taking an action, can then be used to persuade the person to hand over control of a device.
Why these listings can slip through
Large platforms try to remove fraudulent content using automated detection, seller controls, user reports, brand-protection programs, and moderation teams. But they also handle huge numbers of legitimate listings, posts, ads, and product pages.
Malwarebytes says its research found that 47% of people encountered scams on social media at least once a week, while 36% encountered them on buying-and-selling platforms.
Scammers can change names, images, wording, accounts, phone numbers, and links. That can make it harder for review systems to catch every suspicious listing before someone sees it.
Checks to make before you respond
Be cautious when a security or repair offer is far cheaper than expected, especially if it appears in an unrelated category. Malwarebytes says its example appeared in BuzzFeed’s “Quizzes” section.
Check the seller’s history, reviews, contact details, and return information, but do not treat those checks as proof. Malwarebytes warns that these details can also be manipulated.
Do not move a conversation off the platform because a seller or support contact pressures you to do so. Do not trust a phone number shown in an ad, listing, product image, comment, or pop-up simply because the surrounding website is well known.
Instead, type the company’s official web address yourself, use its official app, or open a saved bookmark. Confirm the support number there.
What to do if you already called or shared access
If you called a suspected scammer or allowed remote access, disconnect the device from the internet. Remove any remote-access software they asked you to install.
Change important passwords from a known-clean device. If you shared payment details, contact your bank or card provider promptly.
Report the listing to the platform hosting it and to the brand being impersonated. Do not pay a suspected scammer with gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps. Malwarebytes recommends using a payment method that offers purchase protection and may allow a fraudulent charge to be disputed.
Does this affect me?
- Who may be affected
- Anyone who uses marketplaces, classified sites, social media, advertising pages, review sites, or other platforms with user-created listings should take care.
- How to check
- Before calling or clicking, check the listing details and confirm any support number through the company’s official website, official app, or a saved bookmark.
- What to do
- If a listing seems suspicious, stop using it and report it to the hosting platform and the impersonated brand.
- What to avoid
- Avoid unexpected support numbers, pressure to move off-platform, unusual payment methods, and any request from an unsolicited support agent for remote access.
Common questions
Can a listing on a major website still be fake?
Yes. Malwarebytes says scammers can place untrusted content on familiar marketplaces, media sites, social networks, ad networks, and review platforms. The platform’s name and address do not prove that a specific listing is genuine.
What should I do if a support listing asks me to install remote-access software?
Do not install it or give the person control of your computer. Verify support through the company’s official website or app instead. If you already allowed access, disconnect the device from the internet and remove the remote-access software.
How can I verify a phone number in an online listing?
Do not rely on the number in the listing, ad, comment, image, or pop-up. Type the company’s official website address yourself, use its official app, or open a saved bookmark and check the support details there.
What if I already shared payment information with the caller?
Contact your bank or card provider. If you called a scammer or granted remote access, change important passwords from a known-clean device as well.
Primary source
Based on Malwarebytes’ report, “Fake listings can turn trusted platforms into scam springboards,” published August 27, 2026. Read the complete original source.
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Article history: Published Aug 28, 2026 at 9:29 pm EDT. Updates and corrections are noted here when material facts change.
