How to Spot a Fake-Ass Website

A fake website is a scammer’s attempt to seem like a reputable business, when in reality, they don’t actually provide any goods or services: Their “business” is to trick you into thinking they do, and to get you to pay for it. There are different types of fake websites to be aware of: those that try to mimic a reputable website, and those that create their own unique website.

In this video below, Jordan Liles, a reporter for the fact-checking website Snopes, breaks down a fake website trying to imitate the Kay Jewelers’ website. As you can see, scammers are good at mimicking real, reputable websites; unless you have your guard up, it’s easy to click the wrong link, surf the fake website, give your money away, and potentially have your personal information stolen in the process.

In this other video, Liles shows an example of a fake website that’s not trying to mimic any reputable website, but be its own unique scam site. The unique fake website, however, uses the name of a famous YouTuber, MrBeast, who is known for giving out money and other prizes.

Red flags on fake websites

Domains: One of the first things to always pay attention to is the domain name of the URL and email. Many of these fake websites will use made-up domains, like lifehaker.com, in hopes you don’t notice the spelling error. Others use subdomains, which include an additional “.com” to make it seem like the official domain, like www.lifehacker.com.lh.com. What comes before the last “.com” is what counts. Similarly, when it comes to emails, the domain says a lot. Most legit businesses will not be using a Gmail or Hotmail account; they’ll have their own domain, like @lifehacker.com.

Design: Design quality can also be a giveaway for a fake website, like the New Year sale during November in the fake Kay Jewelers video above. Think of them as glitches in The Matrix. They tell you the website is actually a simulation of the real thing. Since they are designed by scammers, they’re bound to contain some flaws.

Secure website: There are two ways to tell if a website is secured. You can look at the lock on the URL of this page (all the way to the left before “lifehacker.com”). If it’s locked, you’re in what’s called a “secure” page. You can also check that it’s an HTTPS link, which uses encryption to protect your connection. Otherwise, if you see an open lock or an HTTP, it means the website is not secure, and you are more vulnerable to hackers.

Check the about/contact us page: While hackers and spammers are very good at technical things, most don’t take the time to create a believable story about their “business” (unless they’re just copying it from a reputable site). If their “about page” is less than convincing, be cautious. Their contact information, or lack thereof, is also important.

Tools to identify fake websites

While having a keen eye with the details mentioned above are helpful, sometimes you just want a quick and thorough response. The machines are here to help. Check out these two fake-checking websites:

Domain Tools: Reputable and recommended by the Better Business Bureau, the “Whois” look up tool from Domain Tools provides vital information about who, what, where, and when a website was created.

Check out the Whois results for the MrBeast fake website. You can see a lot of the red flags we discussed earlier. The website is very recent, was created in São Paulo, Brazil, (even though he apparently lives in North Carolina), and their registered email is “abuse@namecheap.com.” A bit too on the nose, even for a scammer.

Scam Detector: Another great website, and completely free, is Scam Detector. It checks a lot of the same things Domain Tools does, but instead of laying out all the information for you, it gives you a rating out of 100 based on its own metrics it deems important when evaluating if a site is legit or not. MrBeast’s fake website scored a surprisingly high 62.5, even though it’s a scam. This tells you that you should not completely rely on these kinds of tools to do all the work for you. You should still use some critical thinking and go beyond the headline.

Now that you are equipped with powerful tools and keen eyes for distinguishing fake websites on the internet, you have a responsibility as someone who knows better to help those who don’t: You should always report a scam, especially if you fell for it.