Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Typosquatting Internet Scams: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

Avoid falling victim to typosquatting by double-checking the URL or email address.
Although it’s nothing new, typosquatting is still a popular way to scam people out of confidential information.

What is typosquatting?


Typosquatters will register misspelled variations of a popular domain name and setup a branded website (resembling the actual website a user wanted to visit) in hopes of capturing valuable information.

Once an unsuspecting victim mistypes the URL to their favorite website, they’re redirected to the doppelganger domain and propositioned to complete a survey in exchange for a hot commodity item, like a PS3 or iPad 2.

Unfortunately for the victim, they won't be the proud owner of a new iPad 2, but instead have their information – which ranges from login credentials to personal information like a phone number or email address – potentially sold to the highest bidder who may in turn use it to flood their inbox with spam or to subscribe them to an expensive SMS subscription plan.

If that isn’t alarming enough, typosquatting scams aren’t limited to only when browsing the web either, it was recently found that a ton of information can be gathered simply by intercepting emails sent to misspelled email addresses.

What can you do to prevent falling victim to a typosquatting scam?



  1. Be cautious when typing a URL or email address.  If you’re like me, you probably visit a number of websites on any given day. To err is human; just don’t make sure that error doesn’t result in your personal information landing in the wrong hands.

  2. Always check the URL in your browser’s address bar. I feel this should be a common practice anyway, especially if you’re clicking links from an email or even on a website. Also watch out for redirects that take you to a completely different website as legitimate sites rarely do this.

  3. Don’t give out your personal information. Sure, that iPad 2 may look amazing, but the repercussions associated with giving out your phone number won’t be so appealing. Keep your personal information to yourself.


Have you mistyped a domain name only to land on a suspicious looking website? Share your experience by posting a comment below!

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