‘You can’t get your money back,’ expert warns of sinister website scam
INTERNET users have been warned about malicious websites out to steal their money.
Nowadays, scam websites have become synonymous with browsing the Internet – and these websites are only becoming more common.
Malicious websites are designed to steal visitors’ sensitive data and distribute malware.
Giving away financial information on the websites is dangerous and can lead to your bank account being emptied.
To prevent people from falling victim to such scams, Vincent Iachetta Jr., the owner and founder of Peppermonkey Mediarevealed four telltale signs that a website is trying to scam you.
SCAM WEBSITE RED FLAGS
No padlock icon in your address bar
One of the easiest ways to know if a website is legitimate is to check for a padlock icon.
This is usually located in the address bar when you visit a website.
Your web browser probably has software that can confirm whether a website is trustworthy or not.
So if you don’t see a padlock icon next to the URL, it could mean the website isn’t secure.
A suspicious domain name
The next thing to check is the website’s domain name – or the name of the website in the address bar.
You need to make sure that this is the real domain name of a company and not a copycat with a small adjustment.
Incorrect spelling, such as ‘goggle’ instead of ‘Google’, is a clear indication that all is not well.
“Scammers often use names that can easily be mistaken for real ones in the hopes that people won’t pay attention to them,” according to Peppermonkey Media.
“Another good tip to remember is that few authentic online shopping sites use .org or .net.”
Incredible offers
If a website is indeed a scam, there can sometimes be a countdown clock to create a sense of urgency.
“Scammers often try to lure their victims with incredible eye-catching offers,” warned Peppermonkey Media.
Or they might offer a huge discount of over 50% to entice customers.
In these scenarios, the prices are likely too good to be true, indicating a scam.
“Shop around to compare prices and see if the offers for the item you want on reputable websites are close to what you found on the potential scam site.”
“If that offer is significantly lower than offers from well-known stores, there is a good chance it is a scam.”
Unusual payment options
Common payment methods are PayPal, credit cards, debit cards and Apple or Google Pay.
A clear indication of a scammer is if an online payment asks you to pay outside of these methods, i.e. via bank transfer or cryptocurrency.
“Please note that if you pay by bank transfer, you will not get your money back if you get scammed,” Peppermonkey Media explains.
“Also avoid paying via cryptocurrency or payment apps (e.g. Cash App, Zelle, Venmo) as there is no guarantee you will get your money back,” it added.
HOW TO STAY SAFE
Iachetta Jr. urges internet users to “always check online reviews and read comments on the company’s social media profile pages.”
“If they don’t have social media, that’s another strong sign that they’re not legitimate,” she added.
He also implored users to run a virus check on the website and pay attention to their returns policy as scam websites often don’t have one.
“If you are in any doubt, I strongly advise you to stay safe and close the website immediately,” the expert added.