Don’t Get Caught in the Web! How Fake Websites Are Hooking Victims

More criminals are turning to fake websites and landing pages, designed to look like legitimate businesses, banks, government agencies or service providers, to trick people into stealing their information.

The recent warnings in Jamaica about a fake online traffic-ticket payment site is a good example of how this works. The scammer doesn’t necessarily need to convince you that they are legitimate. Instead, they create a story and a website that does the convincing for them.

How the scam works

A typical scam can look like this:

• You receive a text, email, WhatsApp message, social-media post or QR code
• The message tells you that you need to act immediately, like paying a fine or verifying an account
• You are sent to a professional-looking website or landing page.
• The page copies or features the logo, colours, wording and layout of a real organisation.
• You are asked to enter information such as your name, ID number, password, card details or banking information.
• The information is captured by the scammer.

Sometimes the fake page is only one part of a larger scam. It may be used to collect your information before the scammer contacts you by phone or WhatsApp and impersonates the organisation for even more sensitive data.

Why this scam is easy to fall for

Fake websites and landing pages can be very convincing. A scammer can copy the appearance of a legitimate website and use a web address that looks like the real one. The page may even have familiar branding and professional-looking customer-service information.

What you should do

If a message sends you to a website to make a payment or provide sensitive information, don’t assume the destination is legitimate simply because it looks official.

Before entering sensitive information on a website:

• Stop and check how you got there. Did you find the site yourself, or did someone send you a link?
• Check the web address carefully. Look for misspellings, extra words or unusual domains
• Don’t rely on logos or branding. These can be copied easily.
• Don’t let urgency make the decision for you. “Pay today,” “account suspended” or “final warning” are common pressure tactics.
• Use a trusted route instead. Type the organisation’s web address yourself or use a saved bookmark.
• Don’t enter passwords or banking information just because a page asks for them
• When in doubt, contact the organisation via official channels to verify the information

Remember

The safest habit is a simple one. If you didn’t go looking for the website yourself, take an extra moment to verify before clicking on any links and entering any information.