It is a growing concern for many people when logging into a website, making a purchase, or playing online games, whether or not the website is legitimate. With an increase in the number of things we do online with financial or personal information and an increase in the number of online scams, this is a real concern for many.
We have gathered some information regarding how to spot a scam website, link, or email to try to help you avoid this awful experience. With more media coverage on scams, the scammers are getting more clever and using sites that thousands of people use every day.
Check the Company Thoroughly
It may sound obvious to say so, but the first thing you should do with any new website is to ensure that you have checked it is a genuine site. If you are looking at a betting site such as UFABET.com, this means ensuring that all licenses are in place.
You can check registration and licensing information on the website itself and cross-check this with the relevant gambling commission for the country of registration.
If you are trying a new online shopping site, the best thing to do is ensure that the company is registered in the country of origin. If you are unsure how to do this, we recommend completing an online search.
Making Payments
When placing an online order or making a deposit with a gambling site, it is best to ensure that you use a protected method of payment. This is a type of payment that offers the user protection in case of a scam, such as PayPal or a credit card.
Be wary of anyone you are buying from asking for you to send something via a ‘friends and family’ method rather than for goods and services provided. If you choose PayPal friends and family, you cannot claim a refund via PayPal if you do not receive what you have paid for, although other refund options may be available to you.
If at any time you feel uncertain or uneasy over how you are being asked to pay for an item, we recommend you walk away from the sale. Too many people are scammed because the item is something they really want and are unwilling not to buy despite warning signs of issues.
Email Links
It is a good idea to never click on links from emails; even the most reputable companies have their details and data stolen so that false links can be sent. However, if you wish to click links in emails, there are some warning signs to look out for.
You should always check the full email address of the sender; often, it will show the name of the company, but when checking the full address, it will have extra numbers or symbols included.
Also, be wary of emails that begin with ‘Dear customer’ instead of using your name or that have your email address as the greeting. This is usually because the email address list has been hacked, but the other details, such as name and title, have not been stolen.