It is more important now than ever to be aware of the dangers of a dodgy website as many have both personal and financial information stored on computers and phones.
Visiting a fraudulent website could see important data stolen, and as the websites are becoming more convincing some may not realise until it’s too late. Recently, experts warned that fraudsters were taking advantage of UK passport strikes with a ‘fast-track’ that had no impact on an applicant’s waiting period.
With that in mind, domain expert Doug Stewart from SpamZilla, has shared some of the telltale signs that a website shouldn’t be trusted.
Firstly, Doug recommends checking the URL of a website, as there could be some giveaways that it is a scam site.
“Look for misspellings or unusual domain extensions in the website’s URL,” says the expert “Scammers often use similar-sounding domain names or slightly altered spellings to deceive users.”
Another sign that a website could be dodgy is a lack of a secure ‘HTTPS’ at the beginning of the URL, as this could mean that the website itself is unsafe.
Doug explains: “A secure website should use HTTPS with a padlock icon in the address bar. This indicates that the website encrypts data transferred between the user and the site, protecting sensitive information.”
These websites will instead have a ‘HTTP’, which signifies that the website may be old but also that it could be unsafe and easily taken advantage of by hackers.
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The expert adds that reputable websites have a privacy policy that explains how they collect, use, and protect your personal information. If a website lacks a privacy policy or the policy seems questionable, be cautious.
Scam websites also often lure users with incredible deals, free giveaways, or limited-time offers that seem too good to be true.
And as a final tip, Doug adds” Legitimate websites offer secure payment options like credit cards, PayPal, or other well-known payment processors.
“Be cautious if a website asks for payment through wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, as these methods are harder to trace and recover.”
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