Account may become empty due to greed of offer! While shopping online, immediately identify fake websites with this small trick.

Nowadays online shopping has become very easy and fun. But if you make a purchase in a hurry after seeing 80% or 90% discount, your bank account may become empty. Fraudsters lure people by creating fake websites. These sites look like real shops, but steal your credit card or debit card data. The goods never arrive and the money goes missing.

Fake websites mainly trap huge discounts. Like the latest mobile is 70-80% cheaper, branded bags at half the price or expensive shoes for just a few hundred rupees. These offers are ‘too good to be true’. Real companies rarely give such discounts. Fraudsters know that out of greed people make payments without thinking.

To identify a fake website, first check the URL carefully. The real Amazon site is amazon.in, but the fake website can be like amazon-sale.in, amaz0nshop.com or flipkart-offers.net. They are created by changing small letters or by adding extensions like .net, .top, .xyz. Always look for https:// and have a padlock symbol in the address bar. If there is no https then turn it off immediately.

Second trick- Check out the website design. Photos on fake sites are blurry, there are mistakes in the language and the sentences sound strange. Genuine sites have professional look, clear photos and correct Hindi-English.

Third important thing- Contact Information. Phone numbers, email, full address and customer care details are clearly visible on the original website. These are not available on fake sites or they only have WhatsApp number. The ‘About Us’ page also appears to be blank or copy-pasted.

Fourth warning- The pressure of haste. A timer is running on the site such as ‘Only 2 hours left’ or ‘Only 1 piece left’. This trick forces you to buy without thinking. There is no such pressure even in a real cell. Also check reviews. If all the reviews are great and seem the same, be wary.

Try searching the name of the site on Google with ‘scam’ or ‘fraud’. Real reviews will be found on old sites.

Follow some easy tricks to save your bank account:

• Always buy from the official app or known website.
• Use credit card (better than debit, as disputes are easier).
• Choose COD (Cash on Delivery) until you trust the site.
• Test with a small amount.
• Use VPN or antivirus.

If in doubt, do not purchase. It is better to be a little expensive but be safe. Every year thousands of people in India lose lakhs of rupees due to such fake discounts.

With a little care you can save your money and data. Next time you see an ad of 80% discount, first check the tricks mentioned above. Enjoy online shopping, but do not get greedy.