How To Tell If a Website Is Fake: 12 Warning Signs

Anyone can go and create a Shopify web page and list these products and try to get people to submit credit card information and just steal it – that’s easy. It’s hard, though, to actually get the traffic to your site when you’re competing against known companies and brands. When in doubt, you can use link checkers which can help you determine whether links you receive might be secure or not.

Download AVG AntiVirus FREE to get essential virus and malware protection, including our Behavior Shield, which blocks malicious code from hijacking your PC. Plus, you’ll get essential protection against infected downloads and dangerous email attachments. However, it’s important to be aware that some fraudulent websites also input fake reviews to build a what to look for in a white-label payment processor stax false sense of security and scam unwitting visitors. If the reviews are all brand new, have consistently bad grammar or simply make you suspicious, you might want to avoid using the website. Scammers use fake websites to carry out a variety of fraudulent activities.

Use a website safety checker

A lack of contact information or only a generic contact form could signify a fake website. The URL, which is popularly known as a domain name can reveal a lot about a website’s authenticity. But storing bitcoins in a wallet with the convenience of online transactions comes the risk of scams. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things.

Secured Payment Options

Domain names all begin with a number of characters, and end with .com, .net, .edu, .me, and now hundreds of other possibilities. The “dot something” part at the end of a domain is called the top-level domain, or TLD for short. Most major brands and retailers use .com, or country-specific TLDs such as .fr (France), .de (Germany), or .co.uk (United Kingdom). Phishing and malvertising are among the biggest dangers on the internet. These are some of the cyber security terms, abbreviations and general website jargon that are useful to understand and will help you tell if a website is legit.

Sites with valid security certificates also have “HTTPS” in their URLs, and padlock icons in the address bar. These aren’t safety guarantees, however, as many fake sites have SSL certificates as well. In this article, we offer easy and effective tips to help you avoid scam websites, check links, and verify the trustworthiness of any site or URL you want to visit.

Unsuspecting visitors are prompted to enter their login details, bank account details, email credentials, etc. Scammers are usually pretty crypto today united kingdom’s best crypto news channel! quick in using the information they obtain. They can withdraw money, send spam, reset passwords, or do all sorts of other malicious activities. Oftentimes, customers will order their usual size, but receive an item that is way too small. Marie says that if the product measurements or size chart on a website are extremely small, while claiming to be a local business, this is a red flag. However, scam websites may attempt to manipulate the measurements and size charts, so take the time to research what reviewers say about the company’s sizing.

How can I report a fake website?

You normally see HTTP at the start of a web address, and when it turns to HTTPS, the ‘S’ stands for ‘secure’. An IP or Internet Protocol address is an identifying piece of information that distinguishes one internet user from another. If you have an internet router at home, it will have its own IP address so its location is known. You can find your own IP address by typing, ‘what’s my IP address? All domains have to register their URL or web address, so you can check who has done this by visiting website checkers such as LookWhoIs or Whois.net.

• If any of these pages are missing or lacking important details, avoid dealing with this website.
• Spread awareness about the signs of fake websites by sharing resources, articles and tips with friends, family and colleagues.
• The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) identified nearly a million fake or phishing websites during the first quarter of 2022 alone (not a big time of year for shopping!), for example.

If you accidentally visit a fake website, do not enter any personal information. Change your passwords for any accounts that may have been compromised, and consider using identity theft protection services like Identity Guard to monitor your information. If a site doesn’t have a lock, most browsers will display a “not secure” warning.

The more information, the better — vague contact details should make you suspicious. If the company lists a phone number, give that number a call and see if a real person picks up. Look at the URL of the website to determine if the site is a scam. Often, scammers will use URLs that reference a well-known brand to trick you into thinking you’re actually surfing that site. Make sure you look closely at the web address so you aren’t fooled. Any shopping site that ends in .net or .org is also a potential red flag.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, just because a website is secure doesn’t mean you can trust it with your money or personal data. As long as the site has a padlock, it doesn’t guarantee the authenticity of any given page. Up to half of the phishing sites now have a padlock on them, according to research. Millions of people and companies are getting scammed every year; billions of dollars are lost. Even very experienced people sometimes get tricked into submitting personal information or login details on fake websites.

Further, any testimonials on this website reflect experiences that are personal to those particular users, and may not necessarily be representative of all users of our products and/or services. We do not claim, and you should not assume, that all users will have the same experiences. On the surface, it’s difficult to tell a scam website from an official one. But by following a few simple steps and looking for red flags, you can avoid giving up sensitive information or money to scammers. One way to tell if a website is real or fake is to check how long it’s been active by using the Whois Lookup domain tracker.

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. For example, scammers often use domain names that are similar to — or even contain — the official URL within the fake domain name. Scammers build fake websites to steal your personal information, passwords, and money. A. There’s not a whole lot of controls enforced by the social media companies to immediately screen out those fraudulent or scam-based sites. But seeing the URL when you do this isn’t always enough to know if a link is safe. I recently received an email claiming to be from Apple, saying I was due a refund for AppleCare+ from an iPhone I traded in several years ago.