Can you spot three fake websites and compare the three fake websites to three real websites, plus showcase what makes the fake websites fake?

There are many ways to distinguish fake websites from real ones. Some of them include the URL, the padlock symbol, the appeal to emotion, and deals that are too good to be true. One of the easiest ways to know if a website is safe is if the browser being used detects the site to be secure. Further confirmation is with a padlock symbol next to the URL saying that the connection is secure. An example of a fake website would be www.thedogisland.com. 

It’s a spoof website that’s been known for having no security features such as a padlock or the “https” phrase, poor reviews saying it’s a scam website, and grammatical issues. However, the contrast to a fake website like this is a real one like https://www.petsmart.com/.

PetSmart has been a well-established brand for decades that’s had their website maintain a specific format along with the previously mentioned security features of “https” in the URL and a padlock symbol to the left of the URL.

The next way to tell a fake website from a real one is how fake websites attempt to be real organizations. Fake websites will try to mask themselves as real organizations by having a similar domain name and official branding. An example of this is a fake PayPal website compared to the real one.

This first image is a fake version of PayPal. The proof is in the domain name and the phrase “confirmation-manager-security” before “.com.” For it to be real, the phrase “paypal” needs to be right before “.com” and nothing else. The actual URL of PayPal is within this second image.

Finally, a method of determining fake websites from real ones is showing deals that are too good to be true. This is shown through fake shopping sites or phishing scams. The fake websites will have a simplistic or poor graphic design with expensive being shown as cheap. They also share simple payment methods to make the victim feel comfortable. An example is this image of a fake and real eBay webpage.

The fake eBay webpage has a similar design to the real webpage but there are key differences. The item’s price is cut in half, there’s no warranty, and it can’t be added to a cart. Furthermore, the time to buy it was cut down to give a sense of urgency, the method of payment is a wire transfer which has an added history to implant the idea that other people have bought it.

Overall, there are many ways to know when a website is fake. It can show a lack of basic security features. There can also be faults with the URL and the website itself being disguised as an organization. Finally, several design aspects and methods of making payment transfers can reveal a website trying to scam others.