It’s nothing new that hackers will try anything to get hold of people’s data. You have to be on your guard when emails with links or attachments end up in your inbox. But there is also a great danger on websites and in online stores. Because not all of them are reputable.
What are fraudulent websites?
Basically, you would think that you would have understood the Internet by now. You enter a domain or a search in a search engine and end up on a website. There you scroll and click through the pages for a while and then leave again. Project completed. No damage done. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Wherever there are hackers, there is always danger. And hackers are on the Internet. In addition to dangerous links, attachments and downloads, there are also entire websites whose visit can already cause great damage to your own computer. These websites come in different guises. Fake stores are particularly widespread. Internet users are lured to the site via links, where no goods are offered at all. Or fake goods. Or not the goods that were promised via the link. However, the aim is not to sell goods. The visit alone can cause malware to be downloaded in the background and land on the hard disk. And the virus or Trojan is already there and up to mischief. It is also possible that a fake store is equipped with “real” offers and is looking to register customers. Of course, this registration provides the hackers with personal data that they can use further. After all, phishing is always popular with hackers. Another scam is websites that entice users with competitions. If you register for such a competition, you fall straight into a subscription trap and sign up for a paid membership. You can probably cancel it somehow, but you have to find out about it first and then you have the hassle. You’d rather avoid that. As always, don’t visit a website that you don’t trust and never sign up anywhere if you’re not sure whether the service is legitimate.
Recognize fraudulent websites and fake stores
You can recognize fraudulent websites and fake stores by paying attention to the details. It is very important to note that sites with “http” are always less secure than sites with “https”. The latter are encrypted to make unauthorized access more difficult. However, this does not indicate a dubious site. It is easier to recognize “fake” websites by their address. This usually resembles a known address, but contains spelling mistakes or unusual additions. The browser also occasionally asks for a security exception and indicates that an invalid certificate is present. In this case, you should avoid the site in question. If you do end up on a website, you can also look out for anomalies here. A fraudulent website can be recognized by its design, for example, which is similar to the original but usually has certain differences. If there is no legal notice and, above all, no contact details on the website, you can be sure that it is a scam. If you do get as far as logging in, there may still be discrepancies. For example, if unusual data such as TAN numbers are requested. In all these cases, you should leave the site quickly and run a virus check on your computer. Better safe than sorry.
Conclusion
Fraudulent websites and fake stores often resemble other sites. The aim is to obtain the data of customers who mistakenly visit or even register on the fake sites. Fortunately, most fraudulent websites are quite easy to recognize.
