How to Distinguish a Fake Site From a Real One?
When making a purchase in an ordinary offline store, the buyer can only worry that some very clever thief will be able to pull money or a phone out of his bag or pocket. But when buying a product or paying for services on the Internet, sitting at home, it seems that this is exactly what you should not be afraid of. Running into robbers on the World Wide Web is much easier than in real life.
Fraudsters feel confident in cyberspace. The most dangerous and profitable fraud scheme for them is luring buyers to fake sites that are very difficult to distinguish from real ones. Yes, it is difficult, but nothing is impossible. We study the experience of cybercrime fighters and learn to protect money.
Suspicious Domain Name
The virtual address that appears at the top of the web browser must match the company name. Typically, online stores have a short name. If you spot an intentional typo, a strange top-level domain at the end of the URL, leave this site immediately. At best, these are replicas of a well-known brand, and at worst, just scammers. You will pay the money, but whether you will receive the goods is a big question. If in doubt, check the site with the Google Safe Browsing tool.
Suspicious domains are widely used in the online gambling industry by different casinos to lure victims. For example, this bobcasino.com/en-CA/games/blackjack link is a valid address that you should be redirected to when playing games.
Tempting Offers
Trust your intuition. Fraudsters often lure victims by exploiting consumers’ love of freebies. Huge discounts, cool gifts, full sales and other stunning promotions are prevalent. Yes, many stores sell items from unsold collections at significantly reduced prices, but this is different.
Don’t get fooled by discounts unless you’re given time to think. Fraudsters set up the system so that you are required to pay immediately.
Lack of Contact Details
You should not pay for goods at a normal price on a visually attractive site if there is no phone number, address or company name on the site. The email address may not exist. Any company aims to contact the client, so the opportunity to get additional information about payment methods, delivery options, similar products or other nuances directly from a company representative should be provided. There is no feedback – you will look for ends for a long time.
Fraudsters do not like to provide information about themselves and provide data that is difficult to verify the first time. Even if everything suits you, do not be too lazy to make one targeted call and read reviews from other users.
Non-standard Payment Methods
You should definitely not leave your personal data on sites that accept payment exclusively with bitcoins, bank transfers or gift cards from other companies. Fraudsters love fast payouts that are untraceable. In this case, you will not be able to return the money back.
Pay only in the way you are used to. Sellers are interested in receiving money, and they will be ready to agree to your terms.
