The user experience expectations for modern browser platforms has shifted in recent years. Not so long ago, the main priorities for users included easy navigation and fast loading speeds. While these are still important to users, there is a much greater awareness of online dangers and this is reflected in the current set of expectations.
Cyber crime has become an everyday problem, scams are hitting email inboxes on a regular basis and criminals have introduced more sophisticated methods to trick users. Fake websites look professional and have similar URL addresses to the genuine website. While there used to be more obvious clues that sites or emails were suspicious like use of poor grammar or low quality content, many fake websites are almost identical clones of trusted sites.
With risks such as phishing websites and malicious extensions to look out for, users are more concerned about how secure the platforms they are using are, and they spend more time ensuring that the platform is trustworthy. Around one in nine people in the world have experienced a digital scam that has resulted in losing money.
Types of Common Cyber Scams
Phishing Websites
Scams are often designed to provoke fear if the user does not take the action they are being tricked into doing. For example, emails or texts that pose as a bank claim that they have been subject of a fraud attack and they need to log on to change their password. However, the website that the link leads to will be a phishing site, created for the sole purpose of capturing the user’s login credentials.
Scams About Tech Support
A tech support scam will usually pop up with a message that says that your PC has been infected and requires urgent action. This scam uses fear to try and encourage a user to click on a malicious link or download a dangerous application that is supposed to clean up your PC. If you download the application, it contains malware and cyber criminals use this as a trojan horse to steal data.
These types of scams will usually play on urgency, and may also have red symbols and alarm sounds that are used to trigger panic.
Fake E-commerce Websites
Another major concern for people who shop online is fake e-commerce platforms, where products are advertised and appear to be genuine. The shopper selects their products and pays, but then their products never arrive. They often lure shoppers with massive discounts and post unauthentic user reviews to build trust.
When the shopper realizes that the products have not arrived, they will usually find that the contact details are fake and they are unable to contact anyone about the purchase.
Fake Crypto or Casino Platforms
There has also been an increase in the amount of fake crypto sites and casino sites, as these types of platforms are growing significantly in popularity. As users will be making financial transactions on these types of sites, cyber criminals create fake sites to trick investors or bettors into entering payment details that they can then use to steal money.
How to Stay Protected Online
Even though people’s awareness of digital dangers is increasing, there are new and very believable scams that are still catching them out. There are some key indicators to look out for whenever you use an online browser platform:
- Check the url address is genuine. A common trick is to use a similar URL address to the platform they are attempting to copy.
- Look for ‘https://’ at the beginning of the address as this means the connection is secure. If you look at Tikal Casino’s official site you can see that the website is secure and encrypted.
- Test the contact details to see if the site is genuine.
- Use independent platforms to read genuine reviews rather than trusting the reviews displayed on the website.
How Browsers Protect Users
Most internet browsers have strong protection solutions in place to prevent users from being victims of online attacks and risks. These include AI integration to scan for potential dangers, flagging suspicious downloads or phishing sites, and blocking pop-ups. Browsers have security updates that are designed to identify the risks listed above and many more.
Browser platforms also allow users to customize the settings and add trusted sites to prevent them from being blocked if they know that they are safe to use. If the user visits a potentially dangerous site, an automated message will warn them of the possible danger.
Modern browser platforms also allow users to boost privacy by giving the option to block third-party cookies or blocking trackers completely. With all these solutions, users can have peace of mind that they are being protected when using browsers to access websites.
