1. Check the URL
By paying close attention to the URL at the top of your browser, you might be able tospot a fraudulent website. While you can sometimes spot a fake URL straight away, in some cases the deceptive site can be hidden or manipulated to look familiar.
An easy way to find out if the site is actually malicious is by highlighting the entire URL then copying and pasting it into the search bar of another tab.Beforehitting ‘enter/search’, inspect the URL again, as it may be that the actual URL, before any manipulation has occurred, is now exposed.
2. Verify the trust seal
On websites where you can make a purchase, known as ecommerce sites, there will often be a ‘trust seal’ on the payment pages or other pages where sensitive information is required. When you click on a trust seal, you should be taken to the seal provider’s website where thelegitimacy of the website will be verified. Alternatively, you may be able to visit the seal provider’s website and search for the website there instead.
Here’s acomplete list of trust seals.
3. Ensure your connection is secure
Ensuring your connection is secure is an easy step you can take to confirm that the channel of communication between you and the server is encrypted and secure. In basic terms, it means any information you input cannot be read by third parties or fraudsters. To do this, click on the padlock in the URL bar at the top of your tab and then click on ‘Show certificate’ if using an Apple Mac product, or choose ‘Security’ or ‘More information’ on other browsers to open the certificate.
If you are taken to a website without the ‘https://’ at the beginning of the URL and are asked for any information,leave immediately as the website probably isn’t secure.
4. Filter through the content
Hackers will often rush to pull websites together in order to make money quickly, meaning you’ll often spot bad grammar, incorrect spellings and typos throughout the text. Reputable, trustworthy websites have good quality content and thorough processes to ensure their text doesn’t include mistakes.
If the text has a real sense of urgency to it that is pressuring you to pay a fine or threatening some other risk to you personally, it is likely to be a scam. In a similar vein, if something seems too good to be true, for example, savings accounts with higher-than-average interest rates, it probably is.
In any circ*mstances where a website seems poorly designed with badly-written content, it’s best to err on the side of caution and call your bank directly to check.
5. Find out who owns the web domain
All domains have to register their URL or web address, so you can check who has done this by visiting website checkers such asLookWhoIsorWhois.net.
You’ll then be able to link the website with an individual or organisation. If you’re struggling to do this or it feels a bit cloak-and-dagger, it’s likely that the individual is a scammer and doesn’t want to be found.
6. Use Google’s Safe Browsing Tool
Possibly theeasiest way to investigate a websiteis to simply copy and paste the URL intoGoogle’s Safe Browsing Site Status Tool. This tool is like a fake website detector, and will reveal whether the site is safe (or not).
7. Look at reviews
Feefo,TrustpilotandTripAdvisorare all trusted sites that collate reviews from previous, legitimate customers who can help you decide whether or not the website is legit. Reviewers can also warn you about scams or inconsistencies with the website, allowing you to make a more informed decision.
However, it’s important to be aware that some fraudulent websites also input fake reviews to build a false sense of security and scam unwitting visitors. If the reviews are all brand new, have consistently bad grammar or simply make you suspicious, you might want to avoid using the website.
