In an age when daily lives interweave with the digital landscape, it’s challenging to identify the real from the fake. The internet is a treasure trove of information. Whatever information you desire, be it books, products, services, movies, medicine, finance, courses, or any unconventional context, it’s now at the tip of your fingers. However, such convenience comes with a price. One wrong click and you put your safety and privacy at risk.
What’s worse, scammers use AI to create pages that look so real and relevant that even the most cautious users fall victim. Fake e-commerce and dating websites have become fertile grounds for scammers looking to exploit sensitive information for personal gain. A website checker is one of the safest ways to verify a website’s authenticity and prevent potential fraud. Just paste the site URL into the status checker to verify whether the website is secure or vulnerable to malware or phishing threats. This article will explore practical tips on distinguishing a fake website from a real one.
How To Check if a Website Is Real: Key Security Practices
Genuine, legitimate websites have clear, identifiable features, such as well-defined user policies, professional design and structure, and secure connections. They operate in good faith, provide verifiable contact details, and accurately portray the business or individual behind it.
On the contrary, a fraudulent website will lure customers with too-good-to-be-true deals through phishing and malware. Such sites have limited information about the products and services or the organization, do not provide contact information, and will exploit users by misusing their data or selling counterfeit goods. Beyond these initial identifiers, you must run a few in-depth checks to ensure the site you are using is safe and legit.
Look Out for the Warning Signs
Staying alert is the first step to protecting yourself from malicious and fake websites. All modern browsers are designed with advanced security features to detect suspicious elements and warn users when a browser is unsafe. The warnings usually come as pop-ups or banners like “Your connection is not private” or “Do you want to continue to this unsafe site?” In that case, the wisest thing to do is to click the “Back to Safety” option and close the browser to block threats. However, if you are confident that the site is safe, click the “Advanced” option to proceed.
Check the Browser Bar
An authentic site always starts with https:// and displays a lock icon in the URL bar. The “S” in HTTPS stands for secure and indicates that the site uses an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt data transmitted between the website server and your browser. It protects sensitive data like passwords and credit card numbers from hackers.
However, SSL certificates don’t always prove the site is safe and real. Hackers can buy basic SSL certificates. So, remember to click on the lock icon to check the certificate details and the owner’s information. In case of discrepancies, exit the site.
Double-Check the Website URL
Typosquatting is a common URL-based scam where fraudsters buy domain names that closely resemble well-known sites. For instance, scammers get domains like wikiipedia.org or wikepedia.org to trap users who make typos while typing wikipedia.org on the search engine.
Spoofing is another popular form of scam where scammers build fake websites identical to the legitimate ones to steal login credentials, install malware, and misuse sensitive information. The only difference between these websites is the URL, which may differ in font style or letter type. To avoid security vulnerabilities:
- Carefully check the https prefix before hitting search
- Hover over the link before clicking and check whether the URL is displayed at the bottom left corner of the page and matches the intent of the link.
- Scan links before clicking.
Review the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Unsafe websites often lack a clear and comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service outlining how they collect, use, and protect user information. A privacy policy and terms of service are detailed documents demonstrating the business’s commitment to ensuring user data protection. A legitimate website specifies all related data, from what information it collects to how it protects users from third parties and what control users have over it. Be wary of sites with a vague or overly complicated privacy policy or terms of service to avoid surprises.
Watch Out for the Phishing Emails
Phishing emails or messages look genuine, from someone you know or a brand you follow. However, they steal personal and financial information. In organizations, new hires are more susceptible to phishing attempts because they are more unfamiliar with the workflow styles and the internal systems. Since they are more committed to following instructions, they are more likely to click on unknown links in the email allegedly from the manager or HR, which can put the entire organization’s data safety at risk.
Clicking on unknown links can result in stolen login credentials, malware, and considerable financial loss. If you receive unexpected messages from HR urging you to upload your documents or from your manager asking you to join the link for training, don’t click. Contact them directly instead to cross-check whether the message or email is genuine or from a scammer.
Find Contact Information
All legitimate websites provide detailed contact information so their target audience can easily connect with them and share grievances and feedback. Look for the business’s physical address, phone number, and official email address. Cross-check the address to see if it truly exists and call the number to see if it’s active. While scammers aim to trick users with vague information, legitimate brands look to build trust by maintaining transparency and a seamless communication channel.
Website Design and Content Accuracy
If you compare a real website with a fraudulent one, you will find a stark difference in the design, the content style, and the format. Key red flags are a lack of resources, poor quality, irrelevant content with grammatical errors and broken links, or haphazard design. Also, consider the logo quality, images, and navigation menu. Pixelated logos, broken or dysfunctional navigation, low-quality or irrelevant images, and mismatched pages often scream “scam.”
Conclusion
As technology advances, fake websites are getting harder to spot, but you can improve your chances by staying alert and looking out for the red flags. So, always check the URL and the browser bar to ensure encryption and no discrepancy. Review the privacy policy and terms of service, and check if contact information is available. Also, look out for the design, layout, and content, and strictly avoid clicking on unknown links. That way, you can protect yourself and enjoy the true potential of the digital world.
