Domain Says ‘Go Phish’, Warns Renters of Scam

Real estate listings site Domain is warning renters to be wary of emails suggesting they pay a deposit to secure a property after the site was targeted by a phishing scam.

Domain chief executive Jason Pellegrino, pictured, said it had not been a cyber attack but rather a phishing scam specifically aimed at people who made rental property enquiries.

“We have identified a scam that used a phishing attack to gain access to Domain’s administrative systems to engage with people who have made rental property enquiries,” he said.

“We understand the scammers then contacted some of these people by email to suggest they pay a deposit to secure a rental property on a website nominated by the scammer.

“While this is a serious matter, at this point our investigation show only a small number of people may have been engaged with the scam.”

Pellegrino said Domain had implemented additional security controls and boosted its level of monitoring.

“We continue to implement further ways to identify and prevent phishing and have engaged external security consultants to provide further expertise in the management and prevention of online scams,” he said.

It is understood other listings sites are also looking at security measures.