There are multiple ways to spot a fake website but here are the three that I chose. The first is to view the certificate information. Depending on your browser of choice, this can be found by selecting the lock icon in the URL bar. If the site is real, it will have valid certificates and the lock will appear closed. A fake website will most likely appear opened and will not have a valid certificate. The next way to tell is by looking at the URL itself. Fake websites will often use names that closely mimic the real site but may have misspellings or additional characters. Real websites will also, in most cases, start with “https://“. The last way to tell is by looking at the site content. This should be done last because it is never a good idea to open a suspected fake website. The content of a fake website will usually have low quality designs, unprofessional appearance, and grammatical errors. Real websites will display real company logos that are often trademarked and have a professional appearance. The flow of the real site will be apparent and will have functioning navigational features.
