Beginner’s Guide to Detecting Fake Websites and Staying Safe Online
If you are an online savvy, then you will agree with me that there has been a great rise on internet scams. The fact that you supply your bank details when there is need to do some online payments gives rise to the need to secure yourself online.
In these online scams, I have noticed that online beginners like teens that newly bought a phone are usually the target for the scammers. As a beginner that just started using a phone newly, the tendency of clicking fake links and visiting scam sites will sure be very high.
Aside, being a beginner in the online space, greed can pose the reason why you can easily be scammed. I was taught that contentment to what you have reduces the chances of being scammed. Though i advise to aspire higher however, in your aspiration, remove selfishness and greed.
In this article, i will expose some red flags you have to lookout for while visiting any website.
What are Fake Websites
Fake websites are sites that was purposely built to steal your information. On those sites, everything might look good if the scammer is a pro however, it takes an expert to spot some of the red flags.
On fake websites, the developer does not actually have your interest at heart however, he will paint his posts so nice that you will have no option but to believe him. This scenario of making you think that what is present to you is true can be termed as a make-believe. In my years of being online, i have come to realize that this make-believe normally catches the greedy or inexperienced ones online.
Common Purpose For Creating Fake Websites
For all fake website owners, there are major things that they have common in mind before creating their fake websites. They are thus;
1) Phishing
Since the scammers cannot directly come to you and collect your login details, they mind send you an email and inside mail, they will embed a URL that you can't avoid but click on.
On click of the link in the email, a pro scammers will automatically get all he need about your login details however, for a scammer that is still a learner, they will take you to a website to login your credentials. The website it will direct you to will sometimes looks like a website that you are used to. Websites that look exactly like Facebook and you will be directed to login or recover your password. Once you start the process login or password recovery, you are slowly kissing your account a goodbye.
To avoid being scammed via phishing, avoid clicking on any site that is in an email you don't know the sender. Even if you think you know the sending, please verify the email address and if possible, call the sender to be absolutely sure.
2) Fake Sales
For a site like Amazon, a scammer can create a replica of the website with a name that is close to Amazon, then share the URL to his/her followers online. As a newbie to online scams, you will assume that the site is same as Amazon and since they are doing a heavy promotion on the fake website, you will be tempted to make a purchase on the fake website.
Now, you have made the purchase, your money has been taken from you however, you will be waiting forever for the goods to be delivered to you.
This fake sales does not online go for physical goods purchases, it also goes for digital goods purchase where you will purchase goods or services from the fake website but it will not be delivered to you.
These online scammers don't believe that they can make huge money legitimately. They believe that anyone that is rich must have defrauded someone or must have scammed someone online. In their dictionary, there is nothing like legit money that will help you build a house or buy a neat car hence they resort to quick means to make the money online by creating a fake website.
Common Signs of Fake Websites
To avoid falling a victim of using a fake website, there are some come signs you will need to look out for. Some of these signs are listed below;
1) Lack of HTTPS on the Website URL
The S in HTTPS means secure. This tells the user and google that your site is secure enough to be used and accessed by anyone. Scammers don't normally create an https site and the connection to their site not always secure. Using the screenshot from my site to explain, you will notice that it has https in the URL as seen in the screenshot below.
Fig 1: Site showing https on the URL
Still from my site URL, if click on the arrow close to the https, will let you know if the connection to the site is secure or not as seen in the screenshot below.
Fig 2: Padlock showing a secure connection to the site
If you find yourself in any site, the first thing you must do is to check if connection to the site is secure and that the site has https in the URL. Before you register or supply any personal data, ensure that you do that confirmation first.
2) Grammar Mistakes and Low-quality Contents
Online scammer does not actually have your interest at heart so they hardly go an extra mile to give you a quality content. Inasmuch as no one is perfect when it comes to grammar mistakes however, scammers have lots of mistakes in their grammar and punctuations.
Always check the URL if it has grammar mistakes and well as the contents. Weigh the contents on the site to be sure it has content enough and is secure. No matter what is promised you on the site, don't supply your personal details on the site till you have verified how secure the site is.
How to Check a Website’s Authenticity
Before you make that payment or supply that personal details on the site, make the below checks before you proceed with your decision on the site.
1) Ensure That The Site Has Padlock Sign and https on the URL
This is the first and most important check you need to start with. If other checks fail you, this particular check cannot fail you.
2) Ensure That The Grammatical Errors on the Site are Minimal
Grammatical errors might be inevitable however, when they appear everywhere in the post, you will need to check again because you might probably be where you are not supposed to be.
3) Verify Contact and Business Information
A website that is genuine must have a contact detail and socials. Any site that does not have a contact detail at all is already a red flag. If the added their social handle on the website, use google and verify that handle accounts actually exist.
4) Check The Site Reviews and Online Reputation
If the site has been into existence and they have been doing well, then they must have online reviews and reputation to back them up. If such thing does not exist or they do not exist online at all, that's a red flag and you need to be careful on the site.
Best practices To Being Safe Online
To reduces the chances of being scammed online, below are the ways to keep yourself safe.
1) Double-check the URL
Before you promise with doing anything on the website, ensure that the URL have padlock and https on it.
2) Use Secure Payment Methods
If you have done your checks and must make payment on the website, ensure you use only secure methods of payment.
3) Keep Your Device Updated
Updated browsing devices tend to have better in-built security. Ensure that you always update your device to the latest version.
4) Use Anti-virus and Anti-phishing Tools
Ensure that you have a verified anti-virus installed on your system. While the anti-virus or/and the anti-phishing tool is installed on your system, ensure that they are up to date as well.
5) Avoid Clicking on Every Link You Receive
That your brother or your sister sent you that link does not mean that the link okay to be clicked on. Do your own verification before you click on any link you receive.
6) Trust Your Instincts
If you visit any site and you feel that there is something off about the site, pause and leave the site immediately. You don't need to be scammed before you learn.
7) Use Browser in-built Security Features
Aside have your anti-virus enabled and updates, you need to enable all browser inbuilt security features. That will help to further secure you online.
0 Comments