Domain Name Scams – Cybercrime

How to Avoid Domain Name Scams

Millions of consumers visit their favourite retail websites or online banking portals regularly to enjoy the convenience of instant shopping or financial transactions.

Unfortunately, the very sites that we visit and trust with our private information, including banking details, could very easily be fake.

Domain name scams are becoming increasingly popular around the world as cybercriminals take impersonation to the next level, building virtual replicas of well-known websites.

As this phenomenon spreads in South Africa, local internet users will need to be extra vigilant when shopping and banking online.

How cybercriminals impersonate entire websites

The modus operandi that cybercriminals tend to follow when carrying out these scams is both simple and deceptive.

First, fraudsters register a domain that closely resembles the real domain, making it sound plausible. Some hypothetical examples of these sites could be absabankingsite.co.za or amazononlineshop.co.za.

For someone who isn’t familiar with the company’s real URL, these websites seem legitimate enough because they have been designed to look identical to the real thing.

  • Once unsuspecting customers land on these websites—which can be promoted through fraudulent social media, email or WhatsApp spam—they are typically prompted to log in using the actual credentials they use for online banking or shopping.
  • Once this is done, the cybercriminals have access to their login details, which can then be used to gain access to their accounts and carry out various fraudulent acts.

Domain name scams can be very convincing, but there are ways to avoid them when banking and shopping online.

How to stay safe in the age of fake websites

As an internet user, you have reason to be concerned about these advanced impersonation scams, which now include entire website replicas.

  • The only way to be certain that the website you’re using is authentic is to confirm that it is, in fact, the official website of the company you’re dealing with. This can be verified with a Google search.
  • It’s also important to note that most companies will never ask you to supply your login credentials by email or any other form of communication. Any correspondence you receive asking for this is likely to be suspicious.

When logging into internet banking or retail shopping websites, we recommend that internet users always opt for multi-factor authentication.

For banking, downloading your bank’s official online banking app is much safer than relying on the website, which may or may not be genuine.

Protect your vital data with secure cloud storage

With online activity at an all-time high, businesses and households alike can never be too careful when it comes to protecting private data.

Soteria’s range of secure cloud storage packages for households and businesses is the ideal way to keep your sensitive files safe in the cloud and out of the wrong hands. Visit our product page today to learn more.