General
How To Avoid Falling Victim To Scam Websites
Though the internet has bundles of benefits for the new generation, there are many unscrupulous people who have used the same technology to defraud unsuspecting victims. Scam Websites
They perpetrate this evil by presenting fake websites as originals. Little wonder do online shoppers fall easily into the trap of these online fraudsters.
Let’s delve deeper to explore these callous people and their motives and ways to avoid becoming the next victim.
How Scam Websites Operate
Most times, the major goal of a scam website is to steal your financial information alongside your personal information. They do this so well by playing on your emotions. The scam website can promise some mouth-watering offers which can make just anyone elated, and end up falling for their gimmicks.
The malicious website can be spiced up in a way that its artistic design beats your imagination. This will make you savour the color combination, rich content and image quality. These criminal individuals can use the prized instrument of SEO to mislead others.
Social media, emails, pop-ups, and other methods might be used to attract naïve consumers to the fraudulent website. Once you are on the webpage, it becomes almost impossible to exit the site because of its alluring contents and unbelievable offers.
How to identify scam websites
- Watch out for words that begs for your emotional attention. Example include fear, over-excitement, feelings of urgency etc. Whenever you see these signs, tread carefully.
- When there is an absence of “About Us” page or a “Contact Us” in a website, you need to have a rethink.
- When you see incorrect grammar repeatedly throughout, look no further, exit the site right away!
How to avoid scam websites
- Use a safe internet connection.
- Watch out for sites that don’t carry the company’s name immediately after ”www”. A padlock icon on the top of your screen that is locked indicates that your internet connection is secure.
- “http” is an indicator for a malicious website. Authentic websites always start with “https”.
- Check out the domain name. most genuine sites end with “.com” So, when you see “.org” or “.net” do well to exercise caution.
- If you still feel unsure, carry out an internet search on the website name. You can end up seeing people’s comments who have earlier accessed the site.