What is a Scam?, Bad Effects, and Characteristics of a Scam Website

What are Scams?

Scam or commonly known as a fake website is a mode of fraud that aims to obtain personal data from victims. In order to avoid fake websites, it's a good idea to study the characteristics of an official website.

😭 Bad Effects of Accessing Fake Websites?

When you click on a fake website link, you are unknowingly a victim of cyber crime or online crime. There are many bad things that might happen, such as the emergence of Malware that peeks at personal data automatically or guides you to fill in sensitive data to be used by cybercriminals.

Things like this can happen because the perpetrator designs the fake website so that it is as similar as possible to the original or official website by using a domain name that looks the same or domain spoofing. For example, phishing actors will create a clone of the official website apple.com, using the apple.info.com domain name so that the victim is fooled.

Tips on Recognizing the Characteristics of an Official Website

Below are several ways you can see the features that distinguish an official website from a scam or fake website:

🔫 Examine the Website URL

🔫 SSL has been installed on the website

🔫 check website security

🔫 check the domain owner

🔫 Look at the wording on the website.

The following is a more detailed explanation:

1. 💻 Examine the Website URL

The first thing you have to do to see the authenticity of an official website is look at the website address or URL. Generally, official websites have the following characteristics:

1.1 Using a Domain with the correct spelling.

Usually the official website will use the correct spelling for the domain name. For example, the official website of Shopee is shopee.co.id, while the fake website created by criminals uses the domain name shopi.co so they can carry out their fraudulent activities.

1.2 Using a Trusted Domain Extension

If the original website uses a well-known and trusted Domain Extension, such as the .go.id or .co.id domain, then fake websites will more often use foreign and unfamiliar domains such as .gg, .tk and .tl.

1.3 Niche Match Domain Extensions

Domain extensions that match the Niche are also used on an official website. For example the use of domains.go.id, or .gov on government websites.

2. 💻 SSL has been installed

Installation of Secure Socket Layer or SSL is also a feature of an official website. The padlock symbol on the address is a sign that the website already has a security certification. This can be an indication that the exchange of data that occurs on the internet network is safe because it has gone through the process of a data scrambling or encryption system.

This means that your data transfer will not be easily manipulated, tapped or stolen by irresponsible parties. The URL change from HTTP to HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) also characterizes the presence of SSL on the website.

3. 💻 Check website security

By using the Google Transparency Report you can find out the security credibility of a website. This tool works by finding security holes on a website based on standard references used by Google. In order to get a website security report, you can do the following:

👾 Go to the Google Transparency Report website.

👾 Enter your website address in the column provided.

👾 Click the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the column.

4. 💻 Check the domain owner

When you want to register a domain, both individuals and companies must include their personal data. Through Whois you can get information about who registered the domain name along with contacts to contact.

Contact information can also be a sign of the authenticity of a website. If you feel suspicious because there is a difference between the name of the registrant and the contact, you should not visit the website.

For example, if the registrant's name is "Mark Zuckerberg" but the e-mail address listed is escendol5000@gmail.com, it is highly likely that the registrant on the website is hiding his true identity.

5. 💻 Observe the order of sentences on the website

The use or writing of sentences according to the EYD or enhanced spelling used in a domain is also a feature of an official website. Meanwhile, fake websites tend to use bad grammar or sentences, such as using strange words or wrong grammar.

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that in general an official website will install SSL, be written according to the EYD and have the correct URL in the spelling. Using extensions that use niches, for example on military websites that use domain.mil.id.