If you see the green lock symbol, that means the website owners have applied for and received a secure SSL/TLS security certificate from a company authorized to sell them. Look specifically for the green padlock symbol next to a website address: If there’s one thing internet pirates hate, it’s SSL/TLS certificates. See also: How to avoid common phishing scams Check for an SSL/TLS certificate and padlock symbol Look for things such as dashes, underscores or extra words in places where there normally would not be. At times, the link may very similar to the real link, with only some subtle differences, such as “ ”. Make checking the URL of websites you visit a common practice, especially if you got to that website from an external link. Unfortunately, this kind of spoofing is not entirely difficult to do, and indeed, the internet is replete with hacking websites providing tips and tricks for how to properly create Facebook phishing sites. The page design looks exactly like what you’d find for Facebook, except for the clearly wrong URL. See the problem? Hopefully you would, even without the helpful arrow pointing it out. Here’s an example of what this looks like in an image posted on the Expr3ss blog: ![]() Social media sites are among the most commonly scammed sites for phishing attempts. The name should help clue you into what that entails.Ī phishing website is one that’s designed to lure you in through its design and then catch your private and sensitive information after you hand it right over. These websites are often known as phishing sites. Scam websites often try to spoof real ones, especially from big name websites, in order to collect your username and password from those sites. This might be the most obvious way to spot a fake. This is often the case if you receive links in emails, or click on links from advertisements or those hosted on other websites. Check the website address against the page contentĪlways check the URL if you ended up on that page after you clicked on a link that redirected you there. Here are a few, easy things to look out for when you feel that a website might not be entirely trustworthy. As such, the type of data stolen or the traps set typically focus on:Īs scammers are getting more sophisticated in their tricks, it’s occasionally difficult to tell when a website might actually be a scam or a conduit to fraudulent material intended to steal your information. What kind of data gets stolen using scam websites? Everything you can think of, although these websites typically focus on stealing information that allows them to make money, either immediately or in the long-term. Who are the primary targets for these kinds of websites? Anyone gullible enough to fall for them, essentially. ![]() Fake, scammed, or fraudulent websites are designed to trick you into giving up your valuable user information and in general are designed in such a way that those who are, let’s say, “less attentive”, will fall right into the traps laid out by these sites and their shadowy designers. If you’ve been around the web long enough, you’ve likely seen at least one of these, if not a large handful of them. One of the oldest methods in the online piracy playbook is the fake or scammed website. The freedom and anonymity provided by the internet also make it a breeding ground for criminals and thieves, many of which are constantly evolving their methods to steal data. This guide will teach you how to recognize secure websites you can trust and how to spot fake ones run by fraudsters looking to scam you.Īs wonderful as the internet is these days (and really, it’s quite miraculous when you think about it), a lot of what happens online is downright scary.
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