Published February 26, 2011
The energy of fraudsters never seems to end - if only they would use their powers for good. Fraudsters know that people often misspell domain names and use this to their advantage.
While most people arrive at a domain through a search or via their bookmarks, it's not unusual for people to type the name of a web site into their browser address bar. This is fine if they type in the right address.
Some fraudsters will register a "typo" domain name, a popular brand's name spelled incorrectly, with view to scooping up the wayward traffic. The site may look exactly the same as the real site; making it more difficult for the user to detect something is up. From there, it's not difficult for the fraudster to gain the person's login details or funnel the person to a malicious site that will download malware to their computer, or even perhaps just have them clicking links for which the fraudster is paid.
For online merchants, the solution is simple, but can be very expensive - to register domain names that cover all the possible incorrect spellings. That's fine if you have deep pockets and a short name, but for most online merchants, while registering the most common misspellings may be possible; to cover them all simply isn't viable.
It comes down to an issue of education - teaching users to check the address they've entered into a browser before logging into what they believe to be the authentic site, or to use trusted links. This type of information can be relayed through newsletters and transactional emails such as order receipts.
Looking to register misspellings of your site name? Start your domain name search - before the fraudsters do!
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How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.
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