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Look closely at the domain name. One way fake websites trick people is by using a domain name that is extremely close to a real business’ or organization’s domain name. Upon closer examination ...
- How to Identify AI
Look out for strange shadows, blurs, or light flickers. In...
- How to Spot a Fake Review
Easy ways to recognize fake reviews. Look out for generic...
- Smart Shopping Online
9. Keep documentation of your order. Save a copy of the...
- How to Spot a Scam
From phony text messages to suspicious social media...
- How to Identify AI
- Double-Check The URL Name
- Look For The Padlock, Then Look Harder
- Check The Site's Privacy and Return Policies
- Check For Poor Spelling, Grammar, and UI
- Use A Site Scanner
- What to Do If You've Been Scammed
The first thing you should do before visiting a site is ensure that the domain name is the one you intend to visit. Fraudsters create fake sites masquerading as an official entity, usually in the form of an organization you would likely recognize, such as Amazon, PayPal, or Wal-Mart. Sometimes the difference between the real site's name and the fra...
When you visit a website, look for the padlock to the left of the URL in the address bar. This padlock indicates that the site is secured with a TLS/SSL certificate, which encryptsdata sent between the user and the website. If the website hasn't been issued a TLS/SSL certificate, an exclamation mark ( ) will appear to the left of the domain name in...
Fraudulent websites generally don't go to the extent that genuine websites go to concerning privacy and return policies, if at all. For example, Amazon has a pretty thorough return policy and privacy policythat details everything the customer needs to know about each respective policy. If a site has a poorly written return or privacy policy, that s...
A spelling or grammar mistake is likely to happen now and again, even on the most authoritative of websites. However, most websites have teams of professionals creating these websites. If a website looks like it was created in a day by one person, is riddled with spelling and grammar errors, and has a questionable user interface (UI), there's a cha...
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. These tools crawl the web and test sites for spam and malware. If you visit a dangerous (or potentially dangerous) site that the program determines may co...
If you're a victim of an online scam, there are a few measures you can take to protect yourself (and potentially protect others). What you need to do next depends on what type of information you believe the scammer may have on you. If you purchased something using your credit or debit card from the fraudulent site, the first thing you should do is ...
- Check the URL closely for spelling mistakes. Many fake websites appear to have legitimate URLs, but actually contain slight variations or spelling mistakes.
- Don’t be fooled by legitimate-looking subdomains. Every website has a primary domain name, such as “Amazon.com.” A subdomain is an extension to the primary domain, such as “advertising.amazon.com.”
- Inspect the site’s security certificate. 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.
- Consider how you found the website in the first place. When in doubt, think about how you initially arrived at the site in question. If you typed in the URL yourself, are you sure you entered the correct website address?
- Check the domain name closely. The easiest way to tell that you’re on a fake website is when the domain name doesn’t match the official website for the company.
- Look for a padlock symbol (but don’t trust it as a sole means of verification) All web browsers (such as Safari, Firefox, and Google Chrome) show whether a site has what’s called a “security certificate.”
- Use a website checker or safe browsing tools. A website checker helps you answer if a website is safe to visit. For example, it tells you if the site uses encryption to protect your data, along with the site’s level of verification certificate.
- Look for poor spelling, design issues, and other red flags. Scammers move quickly and often don’t want to take too long building fake websites (which could be identified as fraudulent and get taken down).
Mar 15, 2024 · The minute someone tells you to lie to anyone — including bank tellers or investment brokers — stop. It’s a scam. “Don’t trust anyone. They’re in on it.”. That’s a scam. Scammers want to cut you off from anyone who might slow you down. “Do [this] or you’ll be arrested.”. That’s a scam. Any threat like this is a lie.
Jan 1, 2020 · Here are some easy steps on how to determine if a website is a fake, fraud, or scam: The Domain Name or URL – A lot of fraudulent websites will use a domain name similar to a brand name. I have seen fake sites related to Calvin Klein, Nike, Buffalo, and more recently, Salomon.
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From phony text messages to suspicious social media accounts, learn how to identify a scammer's handiwork—no matter the form it takes. Read our tips for spotting scams, so you'll never fall ...
