The Internet has reached such a magnitude that it has become a way for many unscrupulous people to make money quickly and easily. This is possible because the meteoric growth of the Internet has led to practices that operate in legal loopholes. Furthermore, the appearance and enforcement of existing laws are not the same in all countries, making it difficult to solve crimes committed.
Although technology evolves much faster than jurisprudence, the user is not helpless and the Internet is much safer now than it was a few years ago. Keep reading this article if you want to know how to report illegal websites and phishing.
How to report illegal websites?
There are many types of crimes that are punishable by law. Although computer criminals’ creativity is not without originality, the most common are scams (scams) and fraud (financial and administrative deceits) that, in some cases, can be easily avoided by knowing them. These are the most common:
Sending money in advance: It is a very basic scam and avoiding it is easy. They promise you what they promise you and no matter how much they earn your trust, never pay in advance for a service, a purchase, an investment, etc. Do not lend money to people who earn your trust using the Internet, as they may not even really exist, even if you have contacted them through social networks, online dating services, etc. In the case of charity scams, first, verify the identity of the organization.
Credit card fraud: Some pages appear authentic and are dedicated to selling things of the most varied that do not exist: tickets to concerts, shows or sporting events that once paid to turn out to be false. When a credit card is used, there is a specific protocol for reporting fraud.
Data theft: Data theft should also be reported through fake web pages, a fact better known as phishing.
What to do when they scam you online?
If it does not become a crime and you remain in a fault for the scam, you can find solutions by going to the Customer Service or Support departments of:
In case of scams or fraud with a credit card, you should contact your card provider. It would be best if you also informed your bank.
In case of spam, intrusion on your privacy, hacking of accounts, etc. you must contact the provider: Google if it is a Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. if it is within a social network.
Malicious web pages, with inappropriate content, content copies, paid links, malicious software, etc. you can report it directly to Google.
How to report a website to Google?
There are many reasons why we may want to report a web page to Google. If this is your case, you should know that you have several sites to report the problem. If this is related to your Google account (for example, with your Gmail email) you can do the following:
- Click on your photo
- Click on the option “Manage your account.”
- Report your problem (bottom right)
You will be able to explain the problem and send screenshots that demonstrate it. They will contact you.
If it is a third party problem, for example, a suspicious web page, there is a complaint page where you can choose the type of activity and send your report.
If you use Chrome as the default browser, you can install an extension (More Tools> Extensions> Add Extension) called Suspicious Site Reporter. This will allow you to report pages involved in computer crimes.
How to report phishing?
Phishing is the name of a type of scam that consists of using emails, forms or any other type of simulation to be able to access personal data such as passwords, bank details or access data with which later crimes of identity theft, theft are committed of accounts or scams in your name.
It is the most common type of scam and you can report it directly to Google, in a department called safe browsing.
