How to Spot Fake Ads and Websites

While teenagers like us don’t really use Facebook, we’re back with another suspicious post that came up on Teen Fact-Checking Network India's (TFCN) radar. The image appears to be about an alleged Infosys benefit claim.

However, when we clicked the link, instead of the Infosys website, we reached an article titled ‘Best Passive Income Ideas in 2024’ by “Lenden solutions”.

That’s when the first alarm bells rang! The Facebook post led to a URL of “bluemetricsolutions” and no matter where you clicked on the article, it would refresh the same webpage! This confirmed that it is not a functioning website.

And then came the second set of alarm bells! When we opened the same link using a mobile phone, we were taken to an entirely new article. It carried the Economic Times logo on the top left corner. Something about secret tips by Narayana Murthy to help you get rich!

How to spot fake websites

Scams like these happen often and are quite tricky to detect. Here are some tips to help:

Tip 1: Double-check if a link leads you to an official website. The article was written by Team LedDenClub and had no mention of any Infosys spokesperson endorsing any claim.

Tip 2: Check your source. The Facebook account that posted it, also carries 0 reviews and has no ties to Infosys or its employees.

Tip 3: Check for any inconsistencies. While using a laptop would take you to the LenDen article, a mobile phone would take you to the article about Murthy. But the link URL for both were "bluemetricsolutions". Funnily enough, the publishing date of the article always changes to whatever day you open the link.

Tip 4: Don’t click on strange links and if you absolutely have to, open it in a private window on your browser. That way you safeguard yourself from being phished or getting a virus.