29.10.2024

How to identify a domain name scam

Many South Africans are targeted with domain name scams every day.

This popular form of cybercrime tries to trick Internet users into giving up money or providing access to their important data.

South Africans need to be vigilant against these malicious parties – but when you are bombarded with many emails and social media posts every day, it can be overwhelming to determine which links are real and which are fake.

We asked several of South Africa’s most prominent domain registrars how South Africans must protect themselves against domain name scams.
Read their responses, below.

ZARC

“Awareness is the first line of defence against domain name scams,” said the ZARC.

It said that there are several things South Africans should look out for to avoid being scammed.

The first of these is to scrutinise every domain name – looking for misspellings and slight variations in the domain name.

“For instance, a fraudulent site might use absabank.co.za instead of the legitimate absa.co.za,” said the ZARC.

Many scammers will also add “southafrica” to a URL to make it appear as a legitimate, local-specific branch of a global brand.

Beyond scrutinising domain names, the ZARC said that South Africans should not just trust links from social media or emails.

Do your due diligence before clicking on these links, and if you are uncertain, err on the side of caution.

Lastly, the ZARC recommends that South Africans be wary of unusual requests for information.

Examples of this would include requests for full credit card details, as well as log-in details for their accounts and profiles.

Absolute Hosting

Absolute Hosting said that the most important thing South Africans can do is double check the spelling of a domain name, as well as the extension of the domain name.

“One example is where the legitimate sender would send emails from a co.za domain name and fraudster has registered an org.za or similar .com domain in order to impersonate the original company,” said Absolute Hosting.

This is particularly true in emails, Absolute Hosting said, where scammers will often send an email from a similar domain name – but with a different extension.

Register Domain SA

Register Domain SA said that South Africans should be on the lookout for suspicious emails.

“Look for poorly constructed emails with bad grammar, spelling mistakes, and unusual formatting,” said Register Domain SA.
“These are common signs of a scam.”

It also said users should always check the URL – even it looks like it is legitimate.

“For instance, www.fnb.co.za is legitimate, but www.fnbsa.co.za could be fraudulent,” said Register Domain SA.

“Even subtle changes in the URL can signal a fake website.”

Host Africa

Host Africa said that “imposter domains” are often used to appear legitimate in emails.

“Scammers often create slight variations of legitimate domains, such as [email protected] posing as Microsoft support,” said Host Africa.

It added that if a link seems suspicious, err on the side of caution and don’t click on it.

Host Africa said that “imposter websites” can be harder to identify – meaning South Africans must be active in paying attention to their domain names.

Lastly, Host Africa said a good way to identify fake websites is to check a website’s SSL certificate verification.

“While this isn’t a foolproof method to verify a website’s legitimacy, clicking the padlock icon in the browser bar can show whether the site is verified/or by a trusted third party,” said Host Africa.

Domains.co.za

Domains.co.za said that there are a few basic steps South Africans can take to verify suspicious emails that will save them time, money, and unnecessary stress.

Scammers will often contact victims sending renewal invoices for products and services, or use other techniques to drive urgency to take action.

“A major red flag is if an invoice or renewal notice comes from a company that the potential victim doesn’t recognise or has never worked with,” said Domains.co.za.

“Another sign is that most of the time scam emails are generic and lack personalisation, for example, using terms like Dear Customer in the greeting.”

“Additionally, they often contain spelling mistakes and bad grammar,” said Domains.co.za.

“Reputable companies will use professional, error-free communication.”

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