19-04-2024 14:17

Poisoned search results – when search engines work for scammers

When you search for something on the internet, you expect the search results to be relevant pages. But as with many other things, scammers have found their way to the search engines and are using the technology to deceive and trick you.
Fingers writing on computer keyboard

When you search for something on the internet, you expect the search results to be relevant pages. The top results often get most clicks. Businesses want to get the highest ranking on the results lists to get as many visits to their websites as possible. But as with many other things, scammers have found their way to the search engines and are using the technology to deceive and trick you. By buying top rankings, they poison search engines with false websites.

A purchased search result

To get a top ranking in the search results in the search engine, scammers buy the spot. They may for example have created a false website for a non-existent company. The purpose is to get you to buy goods that you will never receive, alternatively to steal your personal details. 

Amalia Krantz, fraud expert at Nordea.

Another method is that scammers create websites that imitate real companies. You then believe that you are visiting your bank, for example, but it is the scammers’ website you are visiting.

"Websites created by scammers can be very realistic and often very difficult to distinguish from a company’s real website. They also create web addresses that resemble the company’s", says Amalia Krantz, fraud expert at Nordea. 

A relatively new form of scam

Poisoning search engines, also known as SEO poisoning, is a type of scam which is relatively new and unknown to many. It can happen in different ways and changes rapidly. In the Nordic countries, the websites of Finland’s health care system and Norway’s tax authorities have been hit by this. 

Check the search result before you click

There are several ways to avoid this, but they all require that you as a user spend a few more seconds – something the scammers hope you will not do. This could be to check if the top result is an advert and purchased or if it is organic. It is also important to check the site’s web address. 

If you know the website you want to visit, then type in the whole web address, alternatively save the website as a bookmark or a favourite. In this way you know that you will land on the right website. 

"Spend a few more seconds and don’t click too quickly. Especially if you are visiting a site where you for example will buy something or use your security solutions. Always check that you have come to the right place before you use your personal electronic identification method," says Amalia Krantz. 

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