Domain Spoofing

Can you spot the scam?

Can you spot the fraudulent URL? Cybercriminals hope not!

Unlike a typo, homograph (or homoglyph) domain spoofing is nearly impossible to notice with the naked eye.

what is it?

Homograph (or homoglyph) domain spoofing uses special characters in place of letters to appear like the legitimate URL.

The Cyrillic alphabet (used mainly in Russia, Asia, and Europe) is commonly used for homoglyphs because it contains glyphs that are nearly identical to Latin letters.

Visual of fraudulent webpages used alongside domain spoofing

The site can be spoofed too!

When cybercriminals use these characters in place of letters, it’s almost impossible to notice. And once you’ve clicked on the scam URL, it will take you to a scam site that looks exactly like the real thing! Making it even more difficult to realize the scam.

Protect yourself!

Use Bookmarks

Bookmark your favourite and most visited sites to avoid using a browser search
Using a bookmarked page will ensure you get taken to the correct site every time

Use Ad-Blocking software

Scammers will pay for their fraudulent sites to appear at the top of search results ahead of the legitimate site
Use an ad blocker so you don’t see these ads in your searches and accidentally click on them