How To Report A Fake Website To Google (June)

How To Report A Fake Website To Google (June) >> The blog shares the ways to report to Google in case you face a fake website.

Our Dependence On The Web

In today’s digitized era, we adhere to the Internet for almost all our daily and basic requirements. The list of the things for which we rely on the Web to fulfill the needs of our lives is endless. Be it fixing our washing machine, opening a bank account, or simply shopping our grocery items, we are surrounded by useful applications and are inclined towards that click on our phone or computer, which will connect us to a thousand and one solutions. 

Everything in the world has its pros and cons, and so does indulging in the Net. Some parties channel their otherwise talented energy into staining the extremely useful Internet to harm its innocent users. Let’s check How To Report A Fake Website To Google.

How To Know If A Website Is Fake

Whenever we are browsing through the various websites searching for our result or accomplishment of a task, we should never hurry. Always keep an eye on the following points to know if the portal is a scam.

• Check for the ‘https’ at the beginning of the website address. If the URL begins with ‘http’ instead of ‘https’, you might raise an eyebrow as this questions the security of the data present in that portal. 
• If you have the gut feeling that the website is dubious, do spend some time going through their ‘About Us’ or the policies’ sections. If you come across a language error or the content seems to be a copy-paste, the website is not legit.
• Often we come across sites with many links deemed to be connected to their social media pages. Have you ever clicked on them to find out if they work? If not, then do it the next time. Click on the links and if you find a broken one, be sure to declare the site as a scam.
• This one is a very common experience. Ever tried to download a song and got redirected to another site alerting you about your phone being attacked or you over-fortunately winning a colossal lottery? It is a sham, with eyes closed. 

Having said the above, you shall be careful from now onwards. But what if you already have come across a fake website and want to report it to Google? Read on to find out how.

How To Report A Fake Website To Google 

The possible forgery of a website can be categorized into the below-mentioned kinds:

• Spammy content – This comprises:
  • Hidden text and links, such as white text on a white background, illegible font size or linking behind an image.
  • Tricky redirects take the user to a site completely different and irrelevant site to the previously surfed one.

Report to Google if the website contains any of the above by clicking on the given link. (A Google account is required to report this kind.)

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreportform

Next, provide the required information like the address of the dubious webpage, the keywords you typed leading to that page as a search result and additional comments, if any. 

Enter the required captcha and click on ‘Report webspam’ and here is the answer How To Report A Fake Website To Google.

• Malware – If you feel that the website you just visited has the potential of harming your system as it is asking you to download files unnecessarily or forcefully asking you to click on links for proceeding with a task, do not hesitate to report it to Google as this can be site hosting and distributing malicious viruses.

For reporting such an instance to Google, click on the given link below and enter the URL of the suspicious website. Enter additional information if required and click on ‘Submit Report’.

https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_badware/?hl=en

• Phishing – This is the most used technique wherein users are asked to provide personal and sensitive information such as their credit card details or your mother’s maiden name for getting an attractive reward or a job offer. In this situation, many want to know How To Report A Fake Website To Google? The phishing e-mails exactly look as if been sent by a renowned company and are luring enough to fall into the trap. Although, in the present times, almost all organizations are making their customers aware that they do not send such e-mails or messages asking for personal information yet, many people fall prey to these attackers.

If you suspect a website with activities resembling the above type, immediately report it to Google by clicking on the link below. In addition to this, you should also know how to protect yourself from online scams.

Type in the website address and any additional input you would like to provide regarding the act of phishing by the website. Read here for more details.

Google does not always take stringent actions against the owners of these websites, but surely does add your valuable feedback to its transparency report, which helps users to be warned if they are accessing any website against which forgery has been reported. Be a whistleblower and spread the word. Hope you get your answer on How To Report A Fake Website To Google. 

Have happy and safe browsing!