Fake USPS Website
Source: Trend Micro News
What makes this fake website tricky is the fact that the attacker has added SSL encryption in order to add the “padlock” symbol. However, this USPS Tracking number website is fake because the URL does not match the one on the real website (https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input). Additionally, this source mentioned victims being redirected to this phishing site by stating that the user could claim a reward by filling out a questionnaire. This would not be the case with the real website.
Real USPS Website
Fake PayPal Website
Source: Khan Academy
This example is even more obvious, because it fails to include an encryption method, which results in the link being reported as “Not Secure”. Additionally, the link does not match the real website; it should always say “paypal.com” without anything else inserted in between “paypal” and “.com”. Therefore, these are two completely different websites.
Real PayPal Website
Fake Amazon Website
Source: Malwarebytes
This fake website also has the wrong link; if the browser shows anything other than “amazon.com” in bold letters, then the user has not accessed the real website. Although “amazon” is placed directly after “www.”, it needs to also be placed directly before “.com”. There are also slight differences in the appearance of the web page. One is that the user wouldn’t input both their email address and their password simultaneously; the user would input their email address first, click on a yellow “Continue” button, type their password, and then click on a yellow “Sign in” button. That yellow “Sign in” button on the real website also differs from the yellow button on the fake website, because the fake website also adds “using our secure server” to the button.
Real Amazon Website
References
Boyd, C. (2016, February 4). Fake Amazon Mail phishes for login, payment information:
Malwarebytes labs. Malwarebytes. https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/
2016/02/fake-amazon-mail-phishes-for-login-payment-information
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Phishing attacks (article) | cyber attacks. Khan Academy.
https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computers-and-internet/xcae6f4a7ff015
e7d:online-data-security/xcae6f4a7ff015e7d:cyber-attacks/a/phishing-attacks
USPS scam emails/texts & fake USPS website. Trend Micro News. (2023,
September 18). https://news.trendmicro.com/2022/05/03/usps-scams-fake-
delivery-emails-texts/