From Thanksgiving to the New Year, excited consumers look for promising deals to kick off holiday and post-holiday shopping. Unfortunately, this is also the time when scammers, hackers, and identity thieves gear up to tricking the many people doing shopping online.
According to AutoGrow, as many as 76 percent of consumers preferred shopping gifts online in 2018. It’s easier to buy Christmas gifts online. However, shopping on a spammy website can lead to your personal and financial information getting stolen, or your device becoming infected with malware or virus. Now that the holiday season is commencing, it might be a good idea to check your bank statements for suspicious activity.
Thus, it is always important to keep an eye out for red flags when shopping online. Luckily, it might not be too hard to spot spammy websites after going through this article.
The Content is Subpar
Professional websites take pride in their content. The grammar and spelling will be on point, and the graphics will look sharp. So, if you spot a website with an abundance of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical errors, it indicates that the content was written either by someone who doesn’t speak English as their first language or by someone who has completed a third-grade education. Thus, you will have to be wary.
Even legitimate companies’ website will show occasional typos and mistakes. But, when the mistakes become a little bit too much, you need to beware.
They Have No Social Media
Currently, almost every legit business in the world is on a social media platform. Social media accounts help companies show their human side and inform the consumers about the products and services they offer.
A website with no indication of a social media presence sounds downright spammy. So, you should do your research and read reviews about the site before proceeding further to make your purchase.
An Overwhelming Amount of Ads
Is there an overwhelming number of ads on the website you are surfing?
No matter where you go, ads are everywhere. In fact, they have become a part of human life. Nevertheless, if you come across a website that contains more ads than content, it is time you take your next steps carefully.
If the website makes you click on numerous links and get through annoying pop-ups to finally land the intended page, you are likely on a site that’s either fake or scam.
UX is entirely different from selling ads, and when a website doesn’t regard this fact, you have to be careful.
It Looks Like It’s From the 1990’s
Often, companies with legitimate websites put a good lot of money on getting the perfect design for their site because only the best imagery of their products and services would fetch them more visitors and customers.
Poor-quality and cluttered images and a strictly unprofessional-looking design are significant indicators that the website can’t be trusted.
There’s Lorem Ipsum
As stated earlier, professional or legit websites invest in getting quality content written. Lorem Ipsum or dummy text on a website indicates that the site went live quickly. Thus, it is better to steer clear from such websites and look for online stores where clear information about the company and the people running is given.
Use Endpoint Security
If you are still dubious about the authenticity of a website, you can always depend on endpoint security software solutions to determine whether a site is spammy or not. These software solutions come with latest security protection, which helps protect your device from such websites.
Go With Your Gut
Often, people hesitate to believe a site is scammy just because the discounts they see appear to be tempting. Before purchasing on a website, you find to be less reputable, do your fair share of research, and determine whether the site is official or not. Stay on the beaten path and put your trust on websites that have invested in the authentication.