How to Determine if a Website is a Fake, Fraud or Scam

While working at Webnames.ca, I have investigated numerous fake, fraudulent or phishing websites, and they usually have a number of common traits to look for. Here are some easy steps on how to determine if a website is a fake, fraud, or scam:

The Domain Name – A lot of fraudulent websites will use a domain name similar to a brand name. I have seen fake sites related to Calvin Klein, Nike, Buffalo, and more recently, Salomon. These domain names might be www.nikesuperdiscounts or www.buffalocollection or www.salomonshop (these are not real sites, but examples). If a company has a trademark on their name, their website usually matches the company name.
No Contact Information – If the website does not have a contact us page, or it if does and it only offers a form to fill out, this is a strong indicator of fraud. Any company offering products or services, should have a place of business (location) as well as a phone number and email to contact them. If none of this information is available, then they likely just want your credit card info. Here is an example I found from a fake website that does not have any contact details.
Check the Grammar and Spelling – If the fake website is attempting to present itself as an American or Canadian business, they will usually use English text. However, there will quite often be horrible grammar and spelling mistakes on the website. Many of these mistakes would be obvious to a native speaker of English; excessive use of poor grammar and spelling should be an instant red flag.
Check the WHOIS – Do a domain WHOIS lookup to see who owns the domain. The result will tell you the registrar (company that the domain was purchased through), when it was created, when it expires as well as contact details. Although the fraudulent website did not tell me their contact details on the website; using the Webnames WHOIS lookup, I was able to confirm that the domain was owned by a company in China, not the running shoe company located in the U.S. Another key observation to look for is how long the domain has existed. If it has been active for less than a year, then it is most likely a scam website. In the case of my example below, this fake site was setup less than four days ago and I was directed to it through a Facebook ad two days ago.

Test the Contact Information – If the website does list contact information, call, write or email the site, using their contact details, to check if it works. If you get an automatic voice messaging system, the number is not in service, or no one answers during business hours, then exercise caution.

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