If you’re like us, you have received fake emails that look like they are from a bank. PandaLabs, Panda Security’s research arm, reports that cybercriminals create nearly 60,000 new websites each week that exploit high-profile brand names. Banks comprise the majority of fake websites with 65% of the total.
These sites aren’t limited to fake emails; fraudsters are also hijacking keywords used in searches. PandaLabs found that 27% of the tricky sites are made to look like online stores and auction sites. eBay is the number 1 most targeted brand on the web today. Financial institutions, such as investment funds and stockbrokers, and government organizations make up 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively. Payment platforms, led by PayPal, and sites designed to look like they are connected to ISPs and gaming sites round out the malacious sites.
"The problem is that when you visit a website through search engines, it can be difficult for users to know whether it is genuine or not," said Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs.
WOT protects your email and searches
As WOT users you be confident that you won’t be caught unawares. Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo! mail users are protected from these kind of phishing scams because the WOT add-on places the reputation rating icon next to links in the same way as it does when you do a search. This way, unwary users are informed before clicking on a dangerous link.
Watch our video about how WOT protects your email and searches. Please share WOT with a friend so they won’t fall victim to scams on the web.