You’ve probably heard the saying “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Well, “deals” and “steals” online are no exception.
Every year we find several scam heated jacket sites that present themselves as “must-have” deals, with prices that are just too good to be true. In fact, recent data collected about internet fraud revealed that one in ten adults fall victim to a scam or fraud every year, and in 2019 alone, phishing attempts grew by 65%.
As we head into the holiday season and load up our virtual shopping carts with the best deals we can find, it’s important to pay attention to the shops you’re buying from so you don’t fall victim to a scam. To help with this, we’ve compiled a list of the best tips for shopping smart and safe online.
Identifying Scam Websites
A Secure Life listed several tell-tale attributes fake and scam websites have. If you stumble across a new website and question it’s legitimacy, check out the following:
The Address Bar
When dealing with a suspicious website, the first place you’ll want to look is the address bar; specifically, if there is an “https:// at the beginning of the address. The S in https:// stands for secure, indicating that the website encrypts its data before transferring it to protect from hackers.
The Domain Name & Age
Scammers succeed when we let our guards down. One of their favorite tricks is to mimic popular domain names, replacing “.com” with “.net” or replacing o’s with 0’s, like in Yah00. If a domain name looks phisy (pun intended), research it’s legitimacy through the Better Business Bureau. You can also check a domain age with the Whois Lookup Tool, which will let you know the domain age, who it’s registered to and their location.
Many scammers will make fake websites around the holiday. If you’re holiday shopping and the domain was recently created you should proceed with the utmost caution and look for other telltale scam website signs.
Poor Grammar & Spelling
An unreasonable amount of punctuation capitalization, grammar mistakes, broken English and an overall unprofessional look are dead giveaways of scam sites.
Contact Information
Just last year we found a scam website that used photos from other heated apparel companies' products and Gobi Heat® customer support contact information to try and look legitimate. Always double check the contact information!
Are the Payment Options Secure?
A clear giveaway that you’re dealing with a scam website is if they lack secure payment options like credit cards or paypal. If a website asks you to wire money, send a money order or send any other form of unsecure payment, dont!
Run a Virus Scan
For starters, you should run virus scans on a regular basis. If you think you’ve been exposed to a scam site, run a quick virus scan or install antivirus software.
In addition to these tips for weeding out scam websites, now is a great time to remind you to regularly change your passwords and when possible, use a two-factor identification for added security.
Shop with confidence this holiday season with the knowledge and tips to safely and securely shop online.
As always, Happy Holidays from Gobi Heat®!