You work hard to create a quality website that will appeal to your target audience and help you grow your business. The last thing you need is for scammers to “spoof” your website to steal customers’ information and take away that business.
By understanding what website spoofing is, you can take steps to counter it and ensure that things go right when your customers try to find you online.
What is Website Spoofing?
Website spoofing is a form of cybercrime where scammers try to create a copy of your website in an attempt to steal customers’ personal information. They may copy your logos and images, and even some of your written content to create the fake website. They will usually then buy a domain that is very similar to your actual domain (such as a common typo).
The hope is that customers will type in the incorrect website address and not realize it when they are taken to a website that has your company’s logo and basic information. Despite this, many spoofed websites have tell-tale signs that something is off, such as poor grammar or web design that isn’t up to par with your standard branding.
If a customer doesn’t realize that they’re visiting a spoofed website, they may attempt to make a purchase and enter their credit card information — playing right into the criminals’ hands. Alternatively, they may attempt to log in to their account. Cybercriminals can then use this information to access the legitimate account on your website to steal information or make fraudulent purchases.
Even though your brand is not to blame for these incidents, website spoofing can hurt your reputation by resulting in lost trust and negative reviews after a customer has their information stolen by cybercriminals. You could also lose business if customers repeatedly go to the spoof website instead of your legitimate site.
Can I Counteract Website Spoofing?
Unfortunately, you can’t guarantee that scammers won’t be able to spoof your website. But there are steps you can take to reduce the risk for your customers.
One common step that many brands take is to purchase domain names that are similar to their own and have them redirect to their actual website. For example, accidentally typing in googel.com will redirect you to the actual Google site. Buying these domains will prevent scammers from being able to do so.
You can also give customers clear indicators that your own website is legitimate and safe. For example, your website should always implement an SSL certificate. Spoof websites rarely use these security encryptions so they can more easily steal information.
Registering your company’s trademarks and copyrighting your website can cause scammers to think twice of stealing your IP to create their own spoof website, since this would give you extra legal backing against them when submitting a takedown request. In addition, there are now software tools that automatically scan for spoof websites and proactively send takedown requests before they can harm your customers.
Protect Your Online Reputation
Website spoofing isn’t necessarily going to target your business, particularly if you don’t collect customer information online. However, it is important to be prepared. By taking preventative steps in advance and understanding how to respond when spoofing occurs, you can protect your customers and your reputation.
