Facenook and Facevook? Three Tell-tale Signs that It’s a Scam

We all know Mark Zuckerberg is an incredibly smart, if not sharp, guy. So it makes sense that, given the popularity of Facebook, that they'd buy all related domains that resemble 'Facebook.com' to prevent users from getting scammed or duped.

However, it looks like they missed two important ones: Facenook.com and Facevook.com. Unscrupulous characters have managed to acquire these domains, and they're taking full advantage of them to advertise all sorts of fake offers and prizes that obviously don't exist.

Users based in the United States are often shown Best Buy and Walmart-related offers, while from other countries get prizes like laptops from Apple and other brands. To get their "gifts", users have to enter their email addresses and mobile numbers--but unfortunately, the fine print at the bottom of the page indicates that they're actually agreeing to subscribe to some paid mobile service.

It's hard to tell a scam from a real offer sometimes, but here are three tell-tale signs that you should always look for when faced with an offer (that sometimes seems too good to be true):

1. Check the domain. Look at the URL being displayed on your browser and see if it belongs to the site you're intending to click through to. If you meant to go to Amazon and somehow end up at Amazom, then check again because while the site layout looks the same, you might actually be on a phishing or bogus website.

2. Read the text. If the site is promising to give you some stuff, always read the text on their website. Would you need to pay something to get your "gifts"? How will your information really be used? Always read before submitting your name or contact details to know what they're really offering.

3. Look at the layout. Most professional websites are coded and laid out properly. If something about the site seems off (like a misplaced ad or weird-looking log-in form), then it's time to sound the alarm and leave the page while you're ahead.