In this digital age, the internet has become one of the most reliable sources of information. However, it’s easy for one to fall victim to different online attacks and it’s become harder to identify whether a website is fake or genuine. Understanding how to retrieve correct information online and avoid false information is important. However, there are some things you can pay attention to, which can help to check the authenticity of any website.

• Check the website URL

It’s very easy to miss the website URL. Scammers’ tricks are to create websites with addresses that mimic those of genuine websites like Google or eBay. They count on you to skim over the address and domain name, so you should always double-check the address bar.

• Check the website’s security

Look for the lock icon on the URL bar to know if the site is secure. The WiFi should also have a lock icon beside it to show it is encrypted. This is the best way to ensure that your personal information is being transferred in the safest way possible. However, that doesn’t guarantee  against a scam website, but it shows that the site owner is using secured encryption processes to transfer data  and protect itself from scammers.

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• Look for spelling or grammatical mistakes

Fake websites are usually made in a rush and have excessive spelling, punctuation, and obvious grammatical mistakes. Even legitimate websites have the occasional typo but still put effort into presenting a professional website.

• Check the website’s social media presence

Most legitimate companies and brands have some level of a social media presence. Fake websites have icons of popular social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, but it doesn’t link to any real social media account. Go through the company’s platform extensively before trusting them.

• Check the contact page

Review the options for contacting the company. If you don’t see multiple options (phone, email, live chat, or physical address) then proceed with caution. Websites delivering fake contents will not provide these details and if they provide their contact numbers mostly the calls will not be answered or you will find the number inactive. If you land in a page of an advertiser selling various products you should check their shop/office address and must call in the numbers provided there.

• Check the website privacy policy

Websites are required to have a privacy policy which is mandated by law that gives transparency to website visitors with policies and procedures on how their data is collected, used, stored and protected. Most websites have a web page that provides very detailed information. Look for this information and read it thoroughly before providing any of your information.