There are several ways to spot a fake website and differentiate them from real websites. One of the best and most reliable ways to identify a fake website is by looking at the URL. Many times, fake websites will have websites with URLs that are one or two letters off the legitimate website. Often the fake URL will even have subdomains such as google.com.browse.com. Although the spelling of google is correct, the true URL you are accessing is browse.com, and not google.com.

Another way to identify a fake website is through the web page itself, and more specifically the links on the website. Many times, the links on fake websites to not redirect you where you expect them to, or will direct you back to the legitimate site, noting that the URL changes along with it.

Additionally, the format of the webpage itself can be telling. On fake websites, many times the web page will be formatted incorrectly when viewed from a mobile device, or even on a computer. There may also be misspellings in the text on the website, or pictures may not fully load.

Lastly, one generally reliable way of checking a sites legitimacy is through tools, such as Google safe browsing. This website lets you know if a website you enter is listed as unsafe if it matches certain criteria in their system.