When visiting a website, make sure you are at the right web address and not on a fake “copycat” page created by fraudsters. These types of hoax scams are called “Website Phishing”, and they are often used to steal and capture personal and financial information from you.
Website phishing scams can come in a variety of ways. As always, the best defense against these crimes is to be vigilant and to stay informed of the tricks they use so that you can avoid becoming a victim.
How to protect yourself against website phishing:
- Pay attention to the web address or link — Always “double-check” the link for correct spelling and address. For example, our address is https://bfsfcu.org, a phishing website could use bfscu.org and many people would not notice that the letter “f” is missing from the fake address.
- Look for common misspellings of the company name — You know the name of institutions you have a relationship with, make sure the name of the company is correctly spelled throughout the page and review the web address. Scammers often misspell some words.
- BankFund does not use sponsored ads in Google — If you see the word Sponsored above a search result for BankFund, that link should be avoided. You should only click on a Google search result for BankFund if the web address displayed is https://bfsfcu.org.
- Watch for links that don’t work or open a blank page — Scammers often do not waste time to make complete website replicas where everything works. Never click on unknown links and be wary of any unexpected pauses or blank screens.
- Check for odd colors, strange logos, and formatting issues — Fake websites are often slightly different than the true website. Scammers will manipulate logos and colors to appear legitimate.
- Protect your computer — Install antivirus and security software that updates automatically.
- Protect your phone — Set updates to happen automatically. System updates offer critical protection against security threats.
- Look for the lock symbol — this will usually appear in the top left corner next to the web address you are visiting.
- Scan the page for a Trust Seal — Legitimate websites take advantage of trust seals which are small badges issued by third-party companies to prove their authentication.
RESOURCES:
How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
Internet Crime Report: https://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2018_IC3Report.pdf
How to spot a Phishing site: https://www.globalsign.com/en/blog/how-to-spot-a-fake-website