fake - Blog - Global Risk Community2024-03-29T02:26:03Zhttps://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/fakeHow To Determine a Fake Websitehttps://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-determine-a-fake-website2019-01-22T16:32:28.000Z2019-01-22T16:32:28.000ZRobert Sicilianohttps://globalriskcommunity.com/members/RobertSiciliano<div><p>There are a lot of scammers out there, and one of the things they do is create fake websites to try to trick you into giving them personal information. Here are some ways that you can determine if a website is fake or not:</p><p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/agents/robertsiciliano/files/007.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="193" align="right" /></p><p><strong>How Did I Get Here?</strong></p><p>Ask yourself how you got to the site. Did you click a link in an email? Email is the most effective ways scammers direct their victims to fake sites. Same thing goes with links from social media sites, Danger Will Robinson! Don’t click these links. Instead, go to websites via a search through Google or use your bookmarks, or go old school and type it in.</p><p><strong>Are There Grammar or Spelling Issues?</strong></p><p>Many fake sites are created by foreign entities using “scammer grammar”. So their English is usually broken, and they often make grammar and spelling mistakes. And when they use a translating software, it may not translate two vs too or their vs there etc.</p><p><strong>Are There Endorsements?</strong></p><p>Endorsements are often seen as safe, but just because you see them on a site doesn’t mean they are real. A fake website might say that the product was featured by multiple news outlets<em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px transparent;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;">, </em>for instance, but that doesn’t mean it really was. The same goes for trust or authenticating badges. Click on these badges. Most valid ones lead to a legitimate site explaining what the badge means.</p><p><strong>Look at the Website Address</strong></p><p>A common scam is to come up with a relatively similar website URL to legitimate sites. Ths also known as typosquatting or cybersquatting. For instance, you might want to shop at <a href="https://www.Coach.com">https://www.Coach.com</a> for a new purse. That is the real site for Coach purses. However, a scammer might create a website like //www.C0ach.com, or //www.coachpurse.com. Both of these are fake. Also, look for secure sites that have HTTPS, not HTTP. You can also go to Google and search “is <a href="http://www.C0ach.com">www.C0ach.com</a> legit”, which may pull up sites debunking the legitimacy of the URL.</p><p><strong>Can You Buy With a Credit Card?</strong><strong> </strong></p><p>Most valid websites take credit cards. Credit cards give you some protection, too. If they don’t take plastic, and only want a check, or a wire transfer, be suspect, or really don’t bother.</p><p><strong>Are the Prices Amazing?</strong></p><p>Is it too good to be true? If the cost of the items on a particular page seem much lower than you have found elsewhere, it’s probably a scam. For instance, if you are still looking for a Coach purse and find the one you want for $100 less than you have seen on other valid sites, you probably shouldn’t buy it.</p><p><strong>Check Consumer Reviews</strong></p><p>Finally, check out consumer reviews. Also, take a look at the Better Business Bureau listing for the company. The BBB has a scam tracker, too, that you can use if you think something seems amiss. Also, consider options like SiteJabber.com, which is a site that collects online reviews for websites. Just keep in mind that some reviews might be fake, so you really have to take a broad view when determining if a site is legit or one to quit.</p><p><a style="color:#f30e0e;" href="https://safr.me/meet-robert/" target="_blank">Robert Siciliano</a> personal security and <a style="color:#f30e0e;" href="https://safr.me/blog/2018/03/16/identity-theft-advice/" target="_blank">identity theft expert</a> and speaker is the author of <a style="color:#f30e0e;" href="https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Theft-Privacy-Protection-Prevention-ebook/dp/B07FT67BMC/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1535732363&sr=1-3&keywords=Robert+Siciliano&dpID=51hWnD29JtL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud</a>. See him knock’em dead in this <a style="color:#f30e0e;" href="https://youtu.be/2m3Ra6ROPeA" target="_blank">Security Awareness Training</a> video.</p></div>Fake News is Becoming Too Realhttps://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/fake-news-is-becoming-too-real2017-01-17T14:11:35.000Z2017-01-17T14:11:35.000ZRobert Sicilianohttps://globalriskcommunity.com/members/RobertSiciliano<div><p>Fake news is a problem that is taking the internet by storm, and it ran rampant during the 2016 Presidential Election. In fact, many believe that fake news stories had a strong impact on the outcome of the election. In a survey following the election by the Pew Research Center, a whopping 64 percent of polled Americans said that fake news has given them a “great deal of confusion” about current events.</p><p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/agents/robertsiciliano/files/12D.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" align="right" /></p><p>All of us have been fooled by fake news, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon. But, there are some lessons that we can learn from it: Here are five of those lessons:</p><p><strong>Fear and the Unknown are Perfect for Fake News</strong></p><p>One of the lessons that we can learn from fake news is that any event that causes fear or the unknown is the perfect breeding ground for fake stories. We live in a world where competition for attention is rampant, and headlines are written to make you click. Remember, anyone can write up a fake news story and make it look legitimate, and in many cases, these stories are based on fact. For instance, you might recall the stories of creepy clowns walking through neighborhoods earlier this year, which was actually real news. However, you might also recall that these clowns were going on murdering sprees. This is fake…it never happened, but because these stories appear on legitimate looking sites, people believe it.</p><p><strong>Some Stories Fool Us All…</strong></p><p>Another lesson to learn about fake news is that some stories are so good or so believable, that they fool us all. You might remember a meme that was shared stating that Donald Trump said that Republicans are the “dumbest group of voters in the country.” Due to the fact that Donald Trump doesn’t exactly keep his views silent and has made a habit of insulting people, most people took this for truth. It wasn’t. He never said it, but many believed it.</p><p><strong>Most Fake Stories are Obviously Fake When You Actually Read Them</strong></p><p>Most of us are tricked by fake news stories because we never actually read past the headlines. Writers of these stories make sure that these headlines are eye-catching and believable, in addition to viral. When we read a headline of a fake story, we often get the wrong impression of what the story is about. This is on purpose. If you actually click these stories and read them, you will often find that they have a lot of incorrect facts and are poorly written.</p><p><strong>No One is Immune From Fake News</strong></p><p>You will also find that no one is immune from fake news, and sometimes this news crosses over into the real world. Take the Pokemon Go phenomenon of this summer. There was a fake new story of a man who was stabbed while playing Pokemon Go in a bad neighborhood. However, a few days later, a man really WAS stabbed while playing the game.</p><p>There were also fake news stories that Hilary Clinton was given debate questions in advance. It was untrue. However, a few weeks later this actually happened.</p><p><strong>Politics is a Huge Factor in Fake News</strong></p><p>There is no question that politics are emotional, and this is not just the case in the U.S. It is also similar in Europe. Thus, the emotions of politics helps to make fake news extremely believable.</p><p>Many people simply do not trust the mainstream media, so they seek out other news sources. However, these news sources are extremely biased, highly believable, and generally fake.</p><p>You have probably noticed that many of these news stories over the past several months have focused on accusing the two Presidential candidates of crimes. There were also many stories about violence between supporters of the opposing parties. The vast majority of these stories were fake, and if you believed them, sorry to say, you were duped.</p><p>In our current climate of fear, anger, and hate, the facts are being clouded by emotions, and this is why we are so ready to believe the stories that fall in line with our beliefs. Facebook is not a trustworthy news site. Do your own research, go to trusted sites written by those who are fully researched. You will quickly see that fake stories become transparent once you have the facts.</p><p><a style="color:#bb0000;" href="http://robertsiciliano.com/">Robert Siciliano</a> personal security and <a style="color:#bb0000;" href="http://www.trustedalarm.com/">identity theft</a> expert and speaker is the author of <a style="color:#bb0000;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Things-Wish-Before-Identity-Stolen/dp/1941308996/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=httprobertc02-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=JAZ7MOSJYUIXZMJ3&creativeASIN=1941308996"><em>99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen</em></a>. See him knock’em dead in this <a style="color:#bb0000;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ikx0_erfU">identity theft prevention</a> video.</p></div>Fake IDs are everywherehttps://globalriskcommunity.com/profiles/blogs/fake-ids-are-everywhere2015-10-29T14:30:01.000Z2015-10-29T14:30:01.000ZRobert Sicilianohttps://globalriskcommunity.com/members/RobertSiciliano<div><p>Okay, so you’re 18 or 19 and in college, and are stressed because you have to be 21 in order to gain entry to a night club or bar where you’d like to drink up a storm and mingle with a “more mature” crowd. Or really, you just want to meet someone.</p><p><img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/agents/robertsiciliano/files/8D.jpg" alt="" align="right" height="221" width="320" /></p><p>Life sure is tough, isn’t it? You have to wait till you’re 21, but by then…you may be graduated from college (and a lot more mature, and thus, getting plastered would no longer have appeal). What a bummer, dude! The time to have fun is when you’re young and irresponsible!</p><p>Many U.S. college kids circumvent this age restriction with the fake ID. And over the years, it’s gotten easier to get the fake ID, thanks to the Internet. In fact, the Internet is replete with sellers of fake IDs to anonymous customers.</p><p>An article at businessinsider.com describes how the “subreddit” vendor site even provides threads where visitors could get information on how to use this site, which is encrypted (not surprising).</p><p>Nevertheless, college kids can still get fake IDs the old-fashioned way: by asking around. It won’t be long before they have contact information and simple instructions regarding payment and sending the supplier a photo.</p><p><strong>Beware of the Consequences of Getting Caught with a Fake ID</strong></p><ul><li>Come on, is it really worth it? Do you know any grad students who go through their days haunted with agony because they never had a fake ID as undergrads?</li><li>Depending on what state you’re residing in if you get busted, you can get put in jail.</li><li>Some states yield only the misdemeanor charge, while other states will get you a felony charge.</li><li>Using an older person’s ID (e.g., Big Sis who looks like you) will not only mean trouble for you, but for Big Sis, too.</li><li>Don’t think for a second that getting caught means a little time facing a crabby judge and then going home like nothing ever happened.</li><li>Sending all your data to a criminal who makes fake IDs can facilitate your own identity stolen. There is no honor among thieves.</li></ul><p>Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to <a href="http://bestidtheftcompanys.com/companies">BestIDTheftCompanys.com</a> discussing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ikx0_erfU">identity theft prevention</a>.</p></div>