Scam Sites and How to Avoid Them

What are scam sites?

Scam sites are any sites that are used illegally by scammers to deceive users or conduct malicious attacks. The attackers take advantage of the anonymity provided by the Internet to hide their true identity and intentions through various tricks. These tricks can include fake threat notifications, prize draw messages, and other advertisements that look legitimate but are actually fraudulent.

Although the Internet helps us a lot in life, not everything we encounter on the Internet can be trusted. Among the millions of legal sites that deserve our attention, there are also sites created with various nefarious purposes. With the help of such sites, fraudsters try to commit a variety of criminal acts: from theft of personal data to fraud with bank cards.

How Scam Sites Work?

Fraudulent websites operate in a variety of ways, from posting information that misleads visitors to advertising financial transactions with the promise of incredible profits. However, the ultimate goal of fraudsters is always the same: to force their victims to reveal personal or financial information.

Fraudulent sites can be either specifically created by criminals or legitimate web pages where criminals illegally place pop-ups or clickjacking overlays. Regardless of their type, fraudulent sites serve to lure users and catch them on the hook.

Attacks typically consist of the following stages.

1. Bait : Fraudsters lure users to their site using various channels of information transfer.
2. Penetration : Users perform certain actions that allow scammers to gain access to their personal data or devices.
3. Execution : Fraudsters take possession of users’ personal data to use for their own gain, or infect their devices with malware to carry out their tasks.

Sometimes there are more complex schemes, but most of them come down to these three stages.

Fraudsters lure internet users to their website through a variety of communication channels, such as social media, email, or SMS. Sometimes they manipulate search results using SEO optimization to ensure that malicious websites appear at the top of the list.

Fraudsters use various tricks, such as making lucrative offers or sending threatening notifications that people easily fall for. The mechanism of most fraudulent sites is based on the use of psychological techniques.

Therefore, in order to protect yourself, you need to understand exactly how deception occurs. Let’s look into this in more detail.

How Scam Sites Exploit Human Weaknesses?

The mechanism of operation of fraudulent sites is based on social engineering methods . Fraudsters do not rely on computer technologies, but on the fact that people will misjudge the situation.

Users are being led to believe that the malicious site is legitimate and trustworthy. Sometimes such sites do look legitimate and trustworthy, similar to official government sites.

But fraudulent sites are not always made well, and a trained eye will easily notice this. To prevent people from having time to carefully examine such a site, fraudsters use the main tool of social engineering – emotions.

Emotions that overwhelm a person help to drown out the doubt that is natural in such cases. Most often, scammers try to evoke the following emotions in their victims.

• Fear of missing out . A time-limited offer or a threat notification can push a person to act hastily and ill-considered.
• Excitement : A tempting prospect (such as the promise of a free gift or quick riches) can cause a person to become emotionally excited, and he or she will not notice the pitfalls.
• Fear : A fake virus warning or account blocking notification can cause a person to panic and act in haste.

These emotions can arise in people all together or separately, but in any case, they help the scammers achieve their goals. However, the scammers’ plan will only work if the victim decides that the situation concerns them directly. This is why fraudulent sites are distinguished by such a variety of scenarios.

Types of fraudulent sites

Fraudulent sites may be based on different scenarios, but their operating mechanisms are similar. To be able to recognize fraudulent sites, let’s take a closer look at the scenarios that fraudsters can use. Here are the most typical types of fraudulent sites.

Phishing sites

Phishing sites are a popular tool used by scammers to simulate various situations and convince users to reveal their personal information. These sites often disguise themselves as official sites of companies or organizations, such as banks or email providers.

Fraudsters typically lure users to their site with emails or messages that talk about a glitch or other problem that requires the user to take action. The scammers then play out a scenario in which the user is asked to enter account login information, provide bank card details, or other confidential information. As a result, any information the user provides will be used by the scammers for nefarious purposes.

Fake online stores

This is one of the most common fraudulent schemes. Fraudsters create fictitious online stores or sites with low-quality goods in order to steal users’ bank card details.

This scheme is quite insidious, because sometimes customers are still sent goods or provided services to create the illusion of a bona fide online store. However, the quality of such goods and services is always extremely low. But what is more important, the attackers get unlimited access to the details of customers’ bank cards and can then use them without the owners’ permission.

Sites with fake antiviruses

Fake antivirus sites work by showing a fake virus warning pop-up to the user to trick them into downloading malware under the guise of a legitimate antivirus program. The fear of a virus or other malware may cause the user to rush to download the offered program.

If a legitimate Internet security solution is installed on the device , it will protect it from malicious downloads, but users who do not have such protection may fall victim to such a scam.

Sites with fake prize draws

On such sites, users are offered to participate in a drawing for large prizes. In order to receive the winnings, they are asked to provide financial

information and pay a fee, such as a tax or shipping fee. If a person provides the data, they become a potential victim of fraudsters and, naturally, do not receive any prize.

Examples of fraudulent sites

There are many known cases where scammers have created thematic sites for their own purposes. To help you recognize such sites in the future, we will provide several striking examples.

Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Research Sites

In the second half of 2020, reports of fake COVID-19 cures began to appear. Fraudsters speculated on the topic of COVID-19 and collected people’s payment data and other valuable information (such as passport data) under the pretext of enrolling in a vaccine research program.

While real clinical trials may involve monetary compensation for participants and the collection of their personal data, they do not require any confidential information. Rewards for participation in clinical trials are usually given in the form of a gift card, while scammers ask for credit card details or even a bank account number. Real trials often ask people to provide their full name, but never ask for passport details or other confidential information.

Fake Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Websites

In October 2020, phishing scammers took advantage of agencies moving to online services and began creating fake Department of Motor Vehicles websites. This allowed them to collect fictitious payments for vehicle registrations and more.

How to recognize a scam sites

Here are some signs that can help you recognize a scam website.

1. Emotionally charged language . Does the site contain texts that evoke an emotional response in you? If you feel excited, afraid, or want to act quickly, be careful.
2. Sloppy design . This tip may seem too obvious, but nevertheless: you should always pay attention to how the site looks. Does its design and quality correspond to the level we expect from an official site? If you see a poor quality image or sloppy layout, this may be a sign that the site is a scam.
3. Grammatical errors : Look out for typos, awkward language, or obvious grammatical errors, such as incorrect use of plurals.
4. Lack of identifying information . A website belonging to a legitimate business should contain sections called “Contacts” and “About the company.” If you have any doubts, call the phone number listed. If the website only lists a mobile phone number or no one answers the call, this is a reason to be wary. If it seems like the organization is trying to avoid verbal contact, there may be reasons for this.

How to Avoid Scam Sites

To avoid fraudulent sites, you should be careful and cautious when using the Internet. Although there is no guarantee that you will never end up on a fraudulent site, you can still avoid negative consequences by acting carefully. Here are some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters

Check domain names to avoid scam sites

The domain names of fake sites masquerading as legitimate ones can be very similar in spelling or sound to the real ones. For example, instead of fbi.gov, a fake site might have the address fbi.com or fbi.org. Pay special attention to domain names ending in .net or .org: online stores usually don’t have such addresses.

If you want to dig deeper, check to see who the domain name or URL is registered to on a WHOIS site or similar. It’s free.

Be careful when choosing a payment method to avoid scam sites

General rule: Never pay with a bank transfer. If you wire money to a bank account and the transaction turns out to be fraudulent, you won’t get your money back.

It’s too good to be true

The most effective trick of scammers is to promise you untold riches in exchange for a minute of your attention or a bit of effort. Always ask yourself: is it too good to be true?

Is there a website selling tablets, computers or designer sneakers at an incredibly low price? Is there another website advertising a nutritional supplement that will help you build muscle or lose a ton of weight in just two weeks? Or how about a guaranteed way to make a fortune? You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought that this sounds like a free lunch.

Search for information on the Internet to avoid scam sites

If you’re still suspicious of a site, read what other users are saying about it. Reputations (good or bad) are formed quickly online. If others have had a negative experience with the site, they may have discussed it online. To find out if the site has ever been scammed, look for reviews on sites like Trustpilot, Feefo, or Sitejabber.

If you have not found any negative reviews, this is not a reason to relax, because the site could have been created by scammers quite recently. In order not to become their first victim, you will have to evaluate all the information in total.

Always use a secure connection to avoid scam sites

On a legitimate website, on a page where you enter financial or other sensitive information, you should see the organization’s.  If you don’t see such a lock or your browser notifies you that the site does not have a valid security certificate, this is a warning sign. To increase your security level, use reliable security software that will provide you with additional protection.

Don’t take anything for granted, and try not to click on third-party links to visit websites. Instead, type in website addresses manually or save them as bookmarks. Cybercriminals often buy domain names that look or sound similar to the domain names of official websites. If you type the address manually or open a saved bookmark with the correct address, you increase your security.

Another good solution is to use the Safe Money feature included in the cryptobybitcoin.com . It provides additional protection for online payments.

What to do if you fall for a scam sites

If you have fallen for the bait of one of the fraudulent sites, you need to act without delay. You can still prevent the attacker from harming you. Here are some ways to minimize the damage from the actions of fraudsters.

1. Stop communicating with the scammer if he was in contact with you.
2. Find and cancel any pending or ongoing payments to fraudsters.
3. Block compromised bank cards to prevent possible unwanted charges.
4. Change all important passwords and PIN codes, especially for bank and email accounts.
5. Freeze your credit so that fraudsters cannot take out a new loan in your name.
6. Report fraud to service providers and organizations that can help.

To prevent scammers from scamming you or others again, please report the incident to the appropriate authorities.

How to report fraudulent sites

It’s important not only to report a scam site, but also to know how to do it. So gather information in advance.

The first step in a fraud case is to contact all relevant parties, such as:

• your bank and/or credit institution;
• tax service;
• online service provider (such as Google or Apple);
• e-commerce platform (eg Amazon or Ebay).

Report successful and failed fraud attempts to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or through econsumer.gov for cross-border fraud.

Google is working to hide fraudulent sites from search results, so you should report a fraudulent site to them.

Finally, be sure to contact your local police department – they may be able to investigate fraud cases if they occur in their area.

In 2021, Kaspersky Lab security solutions received two AV-TEST awards for performance and online protection

Conclusion: Essential Tips for Avoiding Scam Sites

Scam sites deceive users by mimicking legitimate websites and using emotional triggers to trick people into sharing sensitive information. Key indicators of a scam site include poor design, emotionally charged language, misspelled URLs, and urgent requests for personal or financial data. Recognizing these signs and understanding common scams, like phishing or fake stores, is vital for online safety.

Quick Protection Tips From Scam Sites

• Verify URLs: Check for spelling variations or unusual domain extensions.
• Use Security Software: Programs like Kaspersky help block scams and enable safe browsing.
• Be Cautious with Payment: Avoid direct bank transfers; opt for credit cards with fraud protection.
• Check for Reviews: See if others have reported problems on sites like Trustpilot.

What to Do If Scammed?

If you fall for a scam, immediately cancel payments, block compromised cards, reset passwords, and freeze your credit. Report fraud to authorities like IC3 and the website platform to prevent further scams.