*Please do not click on any links in this article*

Fake websites seem easy to catch, but that is not always true. The difference between a fake and real website can be as simple as 1 added letter to the URL. These scammers typically copy big-name or well-known sites which can range from postal services, ticket sites, or money transfer sites like PayPal or Cash App. Fake postal service sites such as USPS or UPS are widespread by stating that your delivery is on hold, and they need the person to correct their information to fix it with addresses, credit cards, or even social security numbers. People will get these emails or possibly even text and if you are not careful you can fall victim to it. Some can make it to where it is not needed to insert information but when you click on the link itself a virus is inserted.

The website referenced gives great examples of fake websites and why people may fall for these. One example of a fake website URL is seatgeeks.com with an added ‘s’. Meanwhile, the real website is seatgeek.com. An example listed on the website is WaIlmart.com which has a capital I instead of a lowercase l (The real website is called Walmart.com). When searching in Google the home page is not always the one that pops up as it depends on the search. If you are looking for a website customer support page that may be the first item listed. Sadly, the people behind this are smart and can make a fake page such as support.*company searched*.com or such. An example of this type of fake site is support.paypal.com while the real support page for PayPal is
https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/contact-us.

Being very vigilant is key in these situations. Browser checkers offered through Google or McAfee will mark search results based on how safe the website seems showing possibly a green check mark stating it is safe to use or legitimate. Just as with virus protections, some people rely on those completely without double-checking that everything looks okay. These fake websites can imitate the page they are copying which is another reason they are so dangerous. CNBC posted a story in October of 2023 about how much money is lost due to online scammers whether from fake websites or fake social media advertisements where you pay, but your order never arrives.

References:

Huddleston, T., Jr. (2023, November 14). Americans are being scammed out of billions on social media—look for these 7 red flags. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/12/americans-lose-billions-to-social-media-scams-red-flags-to-spot.html

Toohil, R. (2023, November 17). How to identify fake websites: 11 warning signs to know. https://www.aura.com/learn/how-to-identify-fake-websites