Our site author, computer engineer Eray Gürbüz, warned against fake websites
How Can Accommodation Facilities Detect Fake Websites?
Which protection/security methods can they apply?
Fake websites have become an increasing threat on the internet. These sites are designed to defraud your potential customers, capture their personal information and infect them with malware. But don't worry! In this content article, I will close more than a hundred fake sites instantly and share our methods and experiences to protect our accommodation facility and our customers without being defrauded and damaging our brand. Here are the methods we can follow step by step:
How to Detect Fake Websites?
1. Do Monitoring :
First of all, you should be able to follow the process instantly after a fake website, domain & hosting is purchased on behalf of your brand. After purchasing a domain (eg: xyzhotel.com) opened on your brand name, your website front end design is written or downloaded in a very short time, and within a few days, they start to drop your potential customers into the network by going to the absolute top of the page with Google + meta ads. As our digital marketing friends in many hotel groups will agree, competing with fake sites in Google ads will seriously damage the business as liquidity. Ex: If the ads we will appear in Europe / bdt / domestic market or other markets are tbm (our cost per click) 5 TL, tbm can go up to 20 TL or higher under the condition of entering the competition. Even if a simple maths like 1000 clicks per day comes, our marketing budget will run out in a few days before the end of the month:
As Kirman Hotels group, we do motoritoring on behalf of our brand in all our hotel groups all over the world and in all languages. With free software, applications will track and report to you instant fake sites instead of you.
2. Check URLs Carefully:
Fake websites usually try to imitate the URLs of the original sites. For example: (your brand name: xyzhotel.com fake site tries to imitate your brand as xyzhotels.com) Therefore, it is important to check the URL carefully before visiting a website. If you know the correct URL of the original site, pay attention to small differences when you encounter a fake site. Signs such as typos, additional or missing letters or numbers can give away a fake site.
3. Check for an SSL Certificate:
SSL certificate is a sign that a web page is secure. Secure websites start with "https://" and show a lock icon when you visit the address of your browser. Check these settings before visiting a web page. Fake sites often do not use SSL certificates or apply them incorrectly. Therefore, be careful when you encounter a site they live on.
4. Examine the Content :
Fake websites are often designed to defraud users or capture personal data. Examine the content carefully. Beware of content that uses suspicious or demanding language. Be sceptical of sites that ask you to update your daily, account information or claim disclosures of personal information. Update this information by going to the original site or check the advisory controls.
5. Review & Review Sites :
Potential guests often use review sites that rate and comment on accommodation facilities. Fake websites try to create trust by using the name of an original document and review scores. Therefore, check popular review sites regularly and try to detect fake reviews or non-genuine listings. Direct potential guests based on the correct information on these information sites.
What Should Be Done After Detecting Fake Websites?
Technical Steps :
1. If the fake site is serving Google / Meta ads, it is important that you first notify the advertising platforms of the situation. Both platforms have policies to protect users against fake or misleading ads. You can report the situation using the "Report" or "Complain" options in the "Help" or "Support" sections of the relevant platforms. It is important to note that your brand's rights are being violated and fake websites are advertising.2. Since most of the hotels do not have detailed information about digital transformation, digitalisation and cyber security, they do not know how to protect themselves. Therefore, they should apply for a trademark for Google adverts.
What is a Trademark?
Google is a company that cares about the use and protection of trademarks. If you are a brand owner, a trademark is used to protect the use of your brand on Google. To explain a little more, fake sites are the first place they will reach your potential customers is Google ads. If you have a Google trademark, they cannot advertise on behalf of your brand. Steps for this :
• Apply for a Trademark: Firstly, it is important to officially register your brand. The registration of your brand gives you legal protection and strengthens your brand right. To register your trademark, apply to the relevant trademark registration office and complete the process.• Google AdWords TM Policy: Google AdWords allows brand owners to protect their brands and prevent brand infringement. Review Google's Trademark (TM) Policy to protect your brand in accordance with AdWords policies and report violations when necessary.• Google Trademark Infringement Notification: Google offers brand owners the ability to report misuse or infringement of their brand. To report trademark infringement, complete Google's Trademark Infringement Report form and provide the required information. This notice can help you protect the use of your brand on Google.• Content Removal Request: If you discover unauthorised use of your brand on Google, you may file a request to have the content removed. Google evaluates the content found to be trademark infringement within the framework of its removal policies and takes the necessary measures.• Trademark Permissions and Licences: If you want to allow or licence others to use your brand, it is important to have clear, written agreements in place. These agreements ensure that your brand is kept under control and prevent unauthorised use.
Trademark Application :
https://support.google.com/legal/contact/external_consult_wf?hl=en&product=adwords&sjid=7437722739381835913-EU
Trademark Complaining about Fake Websites :
https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905?hl=tr
3. Strengthen your SEO and advertising strategy:
You can strengthen your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and advertising strategies to combat fake websites. By improving the SEO efforts of your brand's original website, you can ensure that fake sites are less visible in search results. Likewise, you can organise advertising campaigns to promote your brand and your original website. In this way, you can ensure that users are directed to your correct website
4. Secure Booking Processes:
Reassure your guests by improving the security of your own website and making booking processes more secure. Use secure payment methods, protect your website with an SSL certificate, and provide a system where users can securely transmit their personal information. This will protect your guests from being redirected to fake sites.
5. Keep Review Sites Updated:
Some guests research accommodation properties through review sites. Fake websites may try to deceive guests by using fake reviews and misleading information. Therefore, check review sites regularly to verify that the information about your accommodation is accurate and that there are no misleading reviews on fake sites.
Legal Steps
1. Notify the Authorities:
First, it is important to report the fake website to the relevant authorities. Contact the relevant law enforcement agency or cybercrime unit and describe the situation in detail. This will help investigate the fraud and take the relevant legal steps.
2. Take Legal Steps:
Contact a lawyer to protect your brand's legal rights. Seek your lawyer's advice to take legal action against the owners of fake websites and protect your brand's reputation. An expert handling trademark law, copyrights, and other related legal issues will give you the best guidance.
Customer Steps:
1. Inform potential guests about the fake website by making an announcement on your own website or social media accounts. Make them aware of the existence of fake websites, give instructions on how to spot them and how to book correctly. This ensures that your guests are safe and have access to the right information.
2. Empower your customer service team and encourage your guests to report or verify any suspicious activity. Effective communication and quick response will help your guests feel safe when they encounter fake websites.
Remember, it's important to act quickly on fake websites and protect your guests and your business. As a priority, improve your existing infrastructure, notify the authorities, take legal steps, inform potential guests and strengthen your security measures. This way, you can protect your brand's reputation and ensure that your guests are safe.