Any company offering goods or services should list a place of business, as well as a phone number or email address through which to contact it. Legitmate companies will always list how to get in touch with them; if the website doesn’t have a ‘Contact us’ page, it could well be fraudulent. Keep an eye out for pixelated images or graphics, and out-of-date logos or branding. These could indicate that scammers are attempting to imitate a legitimate brand or don’t have the resources to create a professional website.
What you need to do next depends on what type of information you believe the scammer may have on you. The first and most basic method of spotting a fraudulent website is to make sure the domain name is the one you truly intend to visit. Try to read through the shipping information and return policy to ensure that everything stacks up. If any of these pages are missing or lacking important details, avoid dealing with this website. Scam websites often ignore the finer details that go into a website, such as the “About” page or the legal information included in the terms and conditions and privacy policy descriptions.
By paying attention to these design inconsistencies and errors, you can assess whether a site might be untrustworthy. When investigating these reviews, scrutinize their authenticity and diversity. A credible website will generally display a mixture of both positive and negative reviews, reflecting genuine customer experiences. Whether you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or any other centre for cryptocurrency research and engineering browser, it’s a good idea to verify and enable the security settings.
If a site is owned by someone other than the purported owner (or you can’t find a way to contact them), you’re probably better off taking your business to a more reputable company. Reviews provide a pretty good picture of whether or not a website is safe, because people don’t like being scammed or having their information shared without permission. Most websites have privacy policies due to legal requirements, but it’s also the fastest way to learn about what information a site can collect from you and how they use it. You can usually find the privacy policy linked in the footer at the bottom of the website or via a site search. Install Norton 360 Deluxe to stay safer when browsing and shopping online.
Research shows up to half of fake sites used for phishing have a padlock now. Antivirus software is the most reliable protection against fake sites. It helps you avoid inadvertently giving away personal information, downloading malware, or falling victim to other scams. Fake URLs are a vital component of ‘phishing’ – a scam that involves fraudulently obtaining a person’s data by posing a legitimate, trustworthy entity. Criminals will go after login details and financial information or attempt to install malware on the device.
Use a website checker or safe browsing tools
Always check out user, Google, and Trustpilot reviews if they’re available. This is particularly important when dealing with new online shopping websites. If you’d like to add another layer of protection between you and fraudulent websites (and also give you a heads up if you may be visiting one), then use a site scanner such as McAfee SiteAdvisor.
The first step to avoiding fake websites is to know what you’ll see if you ever inadvertently land on an unsafe site. Most modern browsers are designed to make navigating the internet easier and safer. If you visit a site with known safety issues, the browser will usually inform you by presenting a fullscreen warning about the dangers of continuing to that page.
Scams to look out for in 2024
Unfortunately, many of these websites live only to scam you out of your personal data or money. Here are a few signs to look out for to spot a fraudulent website. Most reputable, modern-day websites have Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates — which establishes a secure and encrypted connection between your device and the server. While not mandatory for all websites, online stores and retailers should always have SSL certificates to protect personal and financial data.
The Bottom Line: Stay Safe and Avoid Fake Websites
Founded in 2013, the site’s mission is to help users around the world reclaim their right to privacy. After reading this guide, you’ll hopefully be a bit more clued up on fake URLs and exactly what to look for when you’re deciding whether to click on a link you’ve been sent or seen. Next, perform an anti-virus scan of your computer and change all your passwords, and make sure you back up all the sensitive information currently housed on your device.
When in doubt, contact the issuing organization for the trust mark to verify the company’s legitimacy. Everyone has their definition of how many pop-ups are too many, but if a site has so many pop-ups that you can’t actually navigate it, that means there are too many. If there are multiple pop-ups bitcoin has just halved again and none are related to the site you tried to visit, that’s another sign that you may be on an unsafe website. Looking for a padlock should always be combined with the other checks we’ve recommended. Research carried out by ANEC, a European consumer organisation, found that seven in ten people say they’re more likely to use a website with a trust-mark label or logo. Facts are important in a review; don’t trust a review if facts or actionable information is light on the ground.
You can quickly determine whether a site has been reported as part of a phishing scam by entering its URL. This method is expedient for scammers largely because URL content filters don’t recognize the link, and it can thus bypass the filter easily. Importantly, shortened URLs often don’t ‘look’ fraudulent to both untrained eyes and those well-versed in online scams – so they can target anyone. All the URLs in this article (apart from the ones in pictures) have been created/invented to make some sort of point about URL scamming. We have to do this, or else showing what to watch out for would prove confusing.
- Some non-Latin letters are extremely similar to their Latin counterparts, so look closely.
- By checking these sources, you can tap into a broader variety of opinions and personal experiences that provide a more nuanced view of a website’s trustworthiness.
- These aren’t safety guarantees, however, as many fake sites have SSL certificates as well.
- In an effort to look more legitimate, scammers often post fake reviews on their websites.
You can check which site the certificate was issued to, who it was issued by, and its expiration date. If the certificate is valid, then you’ll see the “Certificate is Valid” text on the next menu. First, click the padlock and what are cryptoassets then click “Connection is Secure” from the context menu. A dark web scanner scours the hidden corners of the internet for your stolen credentials. Here’s how to tell if you’ve been hacked and how to fully recover from the attack. Be cautious if you run into multiple generic reviews that are unusually positive and lack accurate descriptions of the product experience.
These are rarely used for online shopping so may have been acquired by questionable people or organisations. If you encounter any of these issues, contact the seller directly for resolution. If the response is unsatisfactory or you receive no response, escalate the issue by reporting it to your payment service and seeking a refund. Monitoring your bank statements for unfamiliar transactions is also crucial to catching scams early.
URLs, when you type them into the address bar, command whatever browser you’re using to source that specific page. Although every website has an IP address, this is just a sequence of numbers and it would be impossible to remember even one or two addresses, so URLs help give these sites much more relevant signifiers. This guide will show you how to identify a fake website by reading the URL, so you don’t fall for the scammer’s tricks. If a site isn’t TLS/SSL certified, any data you send is at risk of being intercepted. The rise of AI content has made it easier for scammers to whip up passable content for sites, so you also need to be on the lookout for anything that doesn’t seem authentically human. By checking the website popularity you can find out if a website is popular among Internet users so you can better decide what to do.
If you question a website’s legitimacy, try searching for it on sites like Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Reddit to see if there are any negative reviews or scam warnings available. If you switched to a new annual plan within 60 days of your initial Aura annual subscription, you may still qualify for the Money Back Guarantee (based upon your initial annual plan purchase date). Sometimes the goal of a fake app or website isn’t to steal your information, passwords, or money — but to infect your device with malware. Official retailers have a dedicated webpage detailing their shipping and return policy.