3,000 fake online stores taken offline

Most people will be able to distinguish a real webshop from a fake one, however, there are still many fake webshops online.Recently, about 3000 fake web stores were taken offline by Europol. These stores sold fake products such as sports equipment, phones and other electronic parts.In this operation there were also 30 suspects arrested and about 4.5 million goods seized.

How do I recognize a fake webshop?

When you start hosting, it is important that you know how to navigate the Internet safely.This also means that you should be able to recognize when a web store is real or fake.
One of the most important things you need to pay attention to is if they have an SSL certificate, you can see this by looking in the search bar to see if there is a lock.

When there is a green lock and a link with "https" instead of "http" then you know the website you are on has an SSL certificate.You can also see what certificate it is exactly by pressing the lock, then more information will come up.

It is also important to note the contact information and whether there is a KVK number, if they do not have then you can be almost 100 percent sure that this is a fake store.If it is listed but you still have doubts then it is advisable to check whether these data are real.

It is also especially careful with branded clothes or shoes, because branded clothes are often more expensive, they are often offered cheaper by scammers.This makes it extra attractive for some people to buy, very often these kind of fake stores have names like for example: 2019goedkopenikeschoenen.nl.

How do I protect my web store?

Of course it is also important that you secure your own web store, we recommend always purchasing an SSL certificate.It is also advisable to keep an eye on updates, especially in WordPress this is very important because in WordPress these are usually security updates.With us it is also possible to make use of Managed WordPress hosting, this way everything is updated automatically without you having to make any effort.

If you have any questions about this, you can always see if one of our chat staff is present.If there is no one on the chat, you can always create a ticket to our helpdesk.