New Delhi: Nowadays, online shopping from home has become a common thing. Clothes, shoes, electronics or household items, everything gets delivered to your home in just one click, but have you ever wondered whether the site from which you are buying is real or a fake shop created by a hacker? Recently a big revelation has happened. German cyber security company Nebty said that hackers have laid a huge trap named 'DoppelCart'. It contains more than 1,19,000 fake websites. These sites look so real that even intelligent people easily get trapped.
Doppelkart: The biggest fake shopping network ever
According to researchers at Nebty, hackers have created an empire of online shops by creating millions of fake domains. Earlier there were around 75,000 sites in 'BogusBazaar' scam, but DoppelCart left that record behind. This is believed to be the biggest fake shopping network ever.
Exact copy of original brands
The special thing about this scam is that hackers have created fake shops of about 44,000 famous international brands. These include names like CurrentBody, SodaStream, Velasca, Daniel Wellington, Dreame and Horze. They take photos, logos and complete product information from the real brand's website and upload them on their fake site. Therefore, you do not have any doubts while looking at the product.
How information is stolen on the checkout page
The real danger begins when you select the items and go to pay. The dangerous code hidden in the fake checkout page steals your card number, expiry date, CVV, name, email, phone number and home address. All these details reach the hackers' servers directly. After that money starts getting deducted from your account.
deep discount trap
Discounts ranging from 50 to 65 percent are shown on these sites. People immediately click on advertisements or sponsored links on social media after seeing low prices. Hackers know that people take decisions quickly after seeing cheap offers.
how to protect yourself
Always purchase from official apps or well-known websites. Do not click on unknown links. Before visiting a new site, search its name on Google and write 'scam' or 'review'. Be wary of seeing impossible discounts like 70-80 percent. Use credit card for payment. Chargeback facility is available in case of fraud. Never share OTP with anyone and read the bank message carefully.
If fraud occurs, immediately inform the bank and lodge a complaint on the cyber crime portal. With a little care you can save your hard-earned money.