In today’s world, cybersecurity is a must. It isn’t surprising that with opportunity comes threat.
Why is cybersecurity so imperative? With so many digital devices connected to the internet being used across the globe, it isn’t surprising that there is a real threat of digital scams, phishing, or data breaches. Having access to the internet is an incredible advantage. Thanks to this, people can access information in an instant. Not only this, but shopping online for products or services, studying and working remotely, and many other convenient things, like compensation calculator websites, can improve people’s lives. All of which wouldn’t otherwise be possible without the internet. But, this also means that there is room for vulnerabilities that cyber attackers explore to access information maliciously.
Individuals, today’s consumers, value convenience a great deal. Because of this, people judge services on their availability in the online environment, and rightfully so. Given that the internet has facilitated and improved people’s lives in various ways, it is perfectly understandable that nowadays, people want instant gratification. In this case, it is of the utmost importance to protect yourself and your personal information against cyberattacks and learn how to spot suspicious behavior or if a website is not legit. Thankfully, there are many ways in which you can strengthen your cybersecurity, from creating strong passwords to using multi-factor authentication.
Apart from this, there are also signs showing a website is not reliable, which you can learn how to identify. And if you ever come across such a website, the recommendation is to close it immediately. In some cases, more than others, you must check the reliability of a website right away.
For example, if you have been involved in an accident to no fault of your own, which has resulted in a personal injury, chances are you will want to claim compensation. In this case, you might want to check a compensation calculator website to get an estimate of the amount you are eligible to receive so that you can cover all expenses and loss of income because of the accident.
Having said this, here are six ways to determine whether a website is legit:
The first thing you should check when you access a website you haven’t before and are unsure about whether it is legit or not is to check the address bar and verify its URL. This can be found at the very top of your chosen browser. Usually, websites ending in .net or .org are not official and especially aren’t or shouldn’t be used if the website has an online shopping section. To make sure a website’s URL is legit, you may want to check it with Google’s Safe Browsing Transparency report.
The next sign that can tell you if a website is unreliable, is its content. Legit websites will have clearly written and displayed content, with various sections for each critical aspect of the respective business. If the content is displayed chaotically, this may be a red flag.
What’s more, you should see if the website has a trust seal. This is precisely what the name entails – a seal that communicates to users the website is safe and that security measures are in place. Security partners grant such a seal after they have analyzed the legitimacy and have confirmed it.
More and more businesses nowadays have realized the importance of having a social media presence together with the website and linking all the accounts together. Because an increasing number of consumers are present on various social media platforms, it is of the utmost importance to have an official presence so that you can increase brand awareness and maintain consumer loyalty.
Indeed, not all types of companies need a social media presence, as it isn’t necessary for them. So, if a law firm is not available on social media, it doesn’t mean the website is unreliable. This applies more in the case of fashion or beauty brands, for example, which rely heavily on social media platforms. So, this is definitely a red flag if the website pretends to be an e-commerce platform but has little information about the company and there is no presence on social media.
No reliable and professional company allows any grave grammar and spelling mistakes. Indeed, a typo can happen to anyone, and regardless of how experienced the website’s content creator and editor are, typos can still happen every once in a while. However, even this happens quite rarely when the business is professional and has a legit website.
Using the example of a law firm or a company of personal injury lawyers, therefore, a business in the legal sector, it is of the utmost importance for the content to be well-written, with no grammar or spelling errors. This decreases the consumer’s trust in the company instantly. Looking at Compensation Calculator UK, it can be seen that the information is well displayed and written, with no mistakes, helping the user navigate easily and access all the information they may need.
What does it say on the website’s “Contact Us” section? This detail may seem unimportant, but, it can clearly show whether a website is legit or not. The business uses this section to help users and their customers quickly get in touch with them.
Whether an address, a telephone number, email, or chat area, this section is crucial for a business. It must have up-to-date, real information. This way a can customer contact them for whatever queries they may have. If the information is not up-to-date or proves to be fake, then this is a clear sign the website’s legitimacy is not accurate and authentic.
Ads are all around. Whether you access a website, scroll through social media, watch TV or listen to the radio, ads have always been around. So, it isn’t uncommon for websites to have various ads.
However, it isn't a good sign if you ever come across a compensation calculator website with more ads than content. An over-abundance of ads and pop-ups points towards scamming or a fake website that is far from being legit. Therefore, you should avoid accessing a website with an exaggerated number of ads.
