How to Spot a Scam Website

Scam websites will steal your financial information.

Americans lost almost $560 million to Internet scams in 2009, the Internet Crime Complaint Center reports. Some of these losses resulted from entering credit card numbers, bank account information and other personal details on scam websites. Many fraudulent sites look very legitimate, with stolen graphics and trademarks, but there are usually telltale signs of a scam.

Instructions

1. Note where you found the website. Many scam websites are publicized through spam emails--unsolicited emails containing offers that seem too good to be true. Be suspicious of any websites linked in these email messages.

2. Read the website address carefully to see if it is close to a legitimate website, but with a slight difference. The Technospot technology news website explains that many scammers register legitimate-sounding addresses to fool consumers into entering sensitive information. For example, a scammer might register a site like yahoosecuritydept.com and send emails asking for Yahoo! passwords to confirm accounts.

3. Check the domain registration of the suspicious website. Sites like CheckDomain.com allow you to check website ownership information. Scam websites often disguise this information by using privacy services. A recent domain registration date is another sign of a fraudulent site.

4. Check the URL of any pages on the website that ask for payment or personal information. Legitimate websites have secure payment forms that start with https, Technospot advises. Beware of websites with payment pages that start with http because your information will not be transmitted securely.

5. Read the website and see whether there is an excessive amount of errors or poor grammar. Many scammers are in other countries and are not fluent in English, according to the Car Advisor website. The text on their fraudulent websites reflects this. Typos are a sign that a site was not professionally developed.

6. Look up the website through Google or another major search engine. Scam websites are often reported on watchdog websites like RipoffReport.com. You will find these sites through your search. Read individual reports for details of the scam.

Tips & Warnings

• Report fraudulent websites to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a site run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National White Collar Crime Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance. Notify the website host if you can determine the host information when you look up the domain. The Consumer Fraud Reporting website recommends notifying legitimate companies if the website is using their identities.

• Take immediate steps to minimize the damage if you are taken in by a scam website. Close your credit card accounts and ask the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on your TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission advises. Notify your bank and watch your credit card and financial statements for unauthorized transactions and dispute them immediately.

References

• Technospot: How to Spot a Fake Website
• Used Car Advisor: Car Scam
• Internet Crime Complaint Center: IC3 2009 Annual Report on Internet Crime Released
• Federal Trade Commission: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft

Resources

• Check Domain
• Ripoff Report
• Internet Crime Complaint Center
• Consumer Fraud Reporting: Report a Scam