You've probably heard about phishing scams, where hackers send emails pretending to be from legitimate companies. They try to trick you into giving them personal information like passwords, credit card numbers, etc.
Phishing scams are becoming more common with the rise of social media platforms. Hackers can easily impersonate another person by using their name and email address. This makes it easier to get away with identity theft.
Phishing scams are often disguised as a link to a website that looks authentic. When you click on the link, you're taken to a fake website that asks you to enter sensitive information. The scammers then collect your data and sell it to other criminals.
Fraudulent websites can be recognized by the fact that they usually have no content and often even consist of only one page, namely the page you landed on. Hardly any scammer would go to the trouble of creating a large website.
When you land on a website, look at who the operator is. Many websites have an "about us" page or an imprint. No one would hide behind a website unless there was a good reason to do so.
To avoid dangerous or fraudulent websites, the following tips should be followed:
- Never type strange domains into the browser – never type domains you don't know into the browser's address bar.
- Do not click on links in spam emails – if you receive an e-mail from an unknown person, never click on any links.
- Use search engines – search engines have filters built in to detect scammers. If a website shows up in the search results, it is probably clean.
- No registration – never register on a website you don't know and trust.
- No data entry – never enter data on the website if you don't know and trust the website.
However, common sense is the best weapon against scammers and any danger! You always have to ask yourself whether a website is trustworthy or not. If any prompts appear on the website, you should reject them and leave the website quickly.
