How to Avoid & Identify Fake Websites in 2023
Fake websites are designed to mimic the real thing, so they can lure you into divulging personal information or exploiting vulnerabilities. Here are some tips to help you identify fake sites.
The first tip is to check for poor language. A website with a lot of typos, spelling mistakes, or grammatical errors may be a scam.
Check the URL
Scam websites usually look very similar to the real ones and can be tricky to spot. However, there are some telltale signs that you can watch out for.
Firstly, always check the URL of the site. The website should start with HTTPS (or HTTP over SSL) and have a padlock in the address bar to confirm its authenticity. This is because sites with an SSL certificate are secure and protect your information from hackers.
Also, pay attention to the website Is Legit or Scam. Typically, fake websites don’t stay online for long and are taken down sooner rather than later. A good way to check the website’s domain age is by using the Whois Lookup. This service will provide you with the website’s owner’s name, organization, country of registration and its age.
Check the Whois Lookup
Using tools such as WHOIS can reveal information about a website’s owner. Checking for an organization name and country of registration, as well as a valid address and phone number, can help you determine whether or not the site is legit.
Bad language and questionable design are also common indicators that a site is fake. Look for pixelated or low-quality images and logos, difficult navigation, and an absence of important business details like contact information or a physical address.
Another way to tell if a website is fake is to check for an SSL/TLS certificate. The presence of this certificate indicates that all data sent to the website is encrypted, which prevents hackers from intercepting your personal information. However, it doesn’t guarantee that the website is genuine.
Check for SSL/TLS
Every year billions of personal data records are leaked and stolen by scammers who use fake websites to trick visitors into sharing sensitive information, downloading malware, or buying nonexistent products. Scammers use a variety of tactics to fool you into believing they are legitimate, including low quality visuals and layouts, pixelated images, spelling and grammar mistakes, and urgent or fear invoking calls to action like “your account will be closed,” or “you’ll lose your money if you don’t act now.”
One easy way to check if a website is legitimate is to run it through a website checker. This will reveal if the site is using SSL/TLS to encrypt its communications and whether it has an organization validation (OV) or extended verification (EV) certificate.
Check for Social Media Presence
Fake websites are a serious threat to internet users, allowing fraudsters to steal personal information or exploit device vulnerabilities. The best way to avoid them is to know how to identify them in advance – here are some telltale signs to look out for:
Look for poor design quality, low-resolution images and odd grammar. Also, pay attention to the site’s payment options: genuine sites will accept credit and debit cards while fake ones may offer untraceable methods like cryptocurrencies or gift cards.
Lastly, check social media presence – if a website has a strong and active social network with a lot of followers and engagements it is more likely to be legitimate. You can also use online tools such as Google Safe Browsing or Microsoft security intelligence to check whether a site is trustworthy.
Check for Customer Reviews
Fake websites can steal your personal information, passwords or money. They can also infect your device with malware. Each year, billions of personal data records are leaked or stolen.
The language used on a website can be a warning sign. If there are a lot of typos, poor grammar and unclear writing, this could be an indication that the site is fake. Legitimate sites have writers and editors on staff to ensure that their content is free from errors.
A fake website might ask for payment using non-reversible methods like cryptocurrencies or gift cards. They might also use non-secure connections. Usually, legitimate sites offer more secure options like credit and debit card payments. You can check this by checking the web browser’s address bar.
