The internet isn’t as safe as most people think; every day, thousands of people get scammed online. In fact, the FBI’s 2021 Internet Crime Report revealed that the total cost of online scams has reached 6.9 million dollars annually in the United States. Experts predict that the internet crime business will increase rapidly in the upcoming years. That’s why modern-day web users must be extra careful while on the internet and watch out for scammers and scam websites.
It is no secret that millions of fake websites on the web are created by cybercriminals to trick ordinary users, steal their confidential information, infect their devices with malware, and execute cyber attacks using these compromised devices. Nowadays, cybercriminals use more sophisticated methods to deceive users of all ages to trick them into accomplishing their malicious goals. Generally, these criminals are after financial earnings from ordinary web users. Before explaining the ways to avoid getting scammed online further, let’s define the main types of online scams and how they work.
Main Types of Online Scams
1- Phishing
Phishing is the most used cyber attack type to scam people or organizations, and these attacks can be very dangerous. In the phishing method, cyber criminals create fake websites, which are duplicate versions of legitimate websites. Then cyber criminals send phishing emails or text messages to ordinary web users. These phishing emails pretend to be legitimate organizations and generally look very similar to the original website so that users don’t suspect anything. Cybercriminals include malicious attachments or links to fake websites in these emails or SMS text messages.
Once users download malicious attachments or click on phishing links, their devices can be infected with malware. But, in most phishing scams, cybercriminals trick people into revealing their credit card information or other confidential information about themselves, like home addresses, mothers’ maiden names, etc. Later on, these pieces of data can be used to steal users’ personal or work accounts.
In the past, millions of people fell victim to phishing attacks. Unfortunately, the number of phishing victims is predicted to increase exponentially in the following years as these attacks become more sophisticated and advanced. So, web users must be extra cautious about clicking links or downloading malicious attachments in phishing emails and text messages.
2- Malware-Based Malicious Websites
Malware is a malicious code constructed by cyber-criminals to do certain tasks in the target machine’s system, gather confidential data, and send it to cybercriminals. Malware-based malicious websites are pretty common on the internet. Ordinary users can encounter these malicious websites frequently, and their devices can be infected with malware without noticing.
These websites use several different approaches to infect users’ devices with malware. For example, cybercriminals might use the drive-by-download approach to infect users’ devices, and users won’t suspect anything. In this method, cybercriminals implement malware on the malicious website, and once users enter this website, their computer automatically downloads the malware without giving any notification.
Cybercriminals use malvertising methods to lead online users to a malicious website where their computer is then infected with malware without the user knowing. In this method, cybercriminals employ fraudulent pop-ads to send malware to users. Generally, these pop ads seem normal and appear to be part of legitimate networks, but they aren’t.
But, in reality, clicking on these pop-ads might lead users to another malicious website or initiate a malware download. By all means, malware-based malicious websites are extremely dangerous, and they can harm users’ devices and steal or gather confidential information without users being aware.
3- Hybrid Attacks
Hybrid attacks are one of the main types of online scams. In this method, cybercriminals hijack legitimate websites and implement malicious redirects on a legitimate website which leads users to malicious content. In essence, hijacked legitimate websites gather data and send it to cyber criminals, and these websites work on behalf of cybercriminals and deceive users.
How to not Get Scammed Online
1- Identifying Malicious Websites
Although scam websites look really convincing, there are some ways to identify them. Checking URLs featuring and domain names can be a good start. Legitimate websites’ URLs feature HTTPS, while many fake websites’ URL s only have HTTP. Legitimate websites should have SSL certificates, so they feature HTTPS. This certificate means the website uses TLS encryption to strengthen data protection. Fake websites can also have this encryption, but websites without it are not secure, especially for logging in or sharing sensitive information like passwords or credit card information.
As for domain names, fake websites can generally be noticed easily by looking at the domain name. For instance, eBay may appear as eBay1 on the fake website. In short, checking domain name and URL features can help you notice malicious websites.
On top of these, you can identify malicious websites when they send false security notifications, and you should avoid websites that give extremely cheap deals than usual. Additionally, legitimate websites don’t request abnormal application downloads, so if a website requests something suspicious, don’t install the app. These are the indicators of malicious websites, and once you notice these unusual offers, requests, and security alerts, you should leave the website immediately.
2- Keep Your Devices Up to Date
Patching your computers’ or mobile phones’ operating systems is really important because out-of-date operating systems can be easily hacked or exploited by cybercriminals. That’s why you should never ignore software updates, as these updates aim to fix security vulnerabilities or gaps in operating systems. Having the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems can give you an upper hand against cyber criminals. To never miss an update, you can turn on automatic updates and ensure you always use up-to-date operating systems, web browsers, and security software.
3- Use Reputable Anti-Virus Software and Filtering Tools
As mentioned above, cybercriminals use the drive-by-download method to infect users’ devices without users being aware. Using reputable, completely updated anti-virus software and filtering tools can help you detect drive-by-download malware infections the moment they start. These tools can prevent malicious websites from infecting your device with malware. These tools can safeguard your device against unwanted malware downloads during your time on the internet. Shortly, these tools can make your browsing experience safer, but you should always avoid clicking on malicious links, opening unsolicited app downloads, and accepting notifications from malicious websites.
Last Remarks
On the internet, millions of fake and malicious websites deceive users into revealing their confidential information or lead them to download malware. To avoid getting scammed online, users can use detection methods to identify these malicious websites. While browsing the internet, users should always be extra cautious. Lastly, using up-to-date operation systems, reputable anti-virus software, and filtering tools is vital to safeguard your devices.
