Officially visit websites & download apps, not fake ones.

[OcTradism]

It is not an advanced tutorial but not all crypto enthusiasts have good knowledge and experience enough to avoid downloading fake apps which will help bad people steal their money.

Easy tutorial to download official applications (of wallets, exchange softwares in crypto, and can be expanded to any other applications in other industries).

- Visiting official websites
- Scanning official websites to find section for apps that is given by the official companies.
- Click on it and download it.

Don't:
- Google to find official websites because you can find phishing sites.
- Don't search on Google Play or iOS store to find applications.
- Don't click on links that are sent by anyone to install any application.



Examples
You should not trust on links are given by me. Visit the official websites by yourself.

Binance
Official website: https://www.binance.com/en
Where to get their applications: at the left bottom corner.

Huobi
Official website: https://www.huobi.com/en-us/
Where to get their applications: at the left bottom corner, click on Download APP or visit the page: https://www.huobi.com/en-us/download/#exchange

OKEX
Official website: https://www.okex.com/
Where to get their applications: at the right side you will see the section like the image.

Myetherwallet
Official website: https://www.myetherwallet.com/
Where to get their applications: https://www.mewwallet.com/
See images.

It is enough for examples. You can get more tutorial for your security and privacy in Good topics on security and privacy

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[20kevin20]

- Visiting official websites

- Google to find official websites because you can find phishing sites.
- Don't search on Google Play or iOS store to find applications.
- Don't click on links that are sent by anyone to install any application.

Binance
Official website: https://www.binance.com/en
Huobi
Official website: https://www.huobi.com/en-us/
OKEX
Official website: https://www.okex.com/
Myetherwallet
Official website: https://www.myetherwallet.com/

(I snipped a large part of the post)

These are quite contradictory - we're basically replacing the trust we have in search engines with your post. Someone with malicious intent could edit the links from your post and redirect other users to fake ones. I guess the best way to find if a website link is legit is by looking through various sources and, if you're that paranoid, search from another device as well.

• Websites such as Binance have social media accounts. You can check them out because most of them have their websites placed on their profile.
• If you're using Tor Browser, there are some sites (such as ProtonMail or the website of Qubes OS) the browser automatically detects an ".onion" link for - that's another good sign that the website you are on might be legit.
• Some sites such as Facebook show the company details to the left of the address bar. Facebook displays "Facebook, Inc. (US)" and you can check for more details by clicking on that thing.
• Always visit https sites.
• Sometimes, a scam verification is as easy as a "<insert_domain_here> scam" search away. Our forum, for example, has a lot of suspicious domains found by users. Chances are you might find an accusation made by reputable members.

There are a lot more ways to validate a website's legitimacy, but this is all I can think of for now.

[daneal stev]

Everything you say is true, and I agree with you that doing the downloading of applications from the official websites is better and safer than downloading applications from external websites and stores because it is possible that these applications inside the stores are arranged by a fraudster who aims to steal, in addition to your example I want to add an example of Blockchain wallet where we must download the program for this wallet from the official website and to download the application for this wallet from an external source is dangerous because there are many fraudsters who created fraudulent applications similar to blockchain wallet

[Becky666]

Don't:
- Google to find official websites because you can find phishing sites.
- Don't search on Google Play or iOS store to find applications.
- Don't click on links that are sent by anyone to install any application.

Google has one of the most notoriously slipshod app approval process, this make it app store most dangerous and anyone trending on it should trend with cautions. I attributed many mistakes to our inability to distinguish between fake and original. Here are some tips:

Check app developer: The name of the developer should be correct in spelling.

Ensure to disable app installation from unknown sources.

Check app permissions: you must be smart with this,  dubious permissions are on app store.

Always read reviews of others.

[OcTradism]

These are quite contradictory - we're basically replacing the trust we have in search engines with your post. Someone with malicious intent could edit the links from your post and redirect other users to fake ones. I guess the best way to find if a website link is legit is by looking through various sources and, if you're that paranoid, search from another device as well.

I say that people have to be responsible to visit official websites by themselves and should never rely on my links or links are given by anyone else. It is a first vital step to do.

All my links in OP are for examples to visually explain people how to find and get official applications from official webistes. Yeah, they need to have official websites first.

- Visiting official websites
- Scanning official websites to find section for apps that is given by the official companies.
- Click on it and download it.

Anyhow, you made a point that I must leave a note that all links should not be trusted and used without verification, to avoid any phishing attempts or simply typos from my side. Thanks.

Websites such as Binance have social media accounts. You can check them out because most of them have their websites placed on their profile.

But your advise here is not good. Social accounts can be hacked and compromised too so don't rely on any third party websites, search engines to visit official websites.

[nelson4lov]

Yet another helpful post, OcTradism. My best bet to avoid visiting scam sites has always been to follow my own intuition. Someone suggested visiting the social media accounts of these  platforms but that's a burst as I've seen scammy accounts that look exactly if not the same as the official one.

Talking about visiting only https  enabled sites, that works too. However, it's important to know that anyone can get an SSL certificate like Let's Encrypt which is even available for free.

Just because a site has HTTPS, doesn’t mean you can automatically trust it.

Ensure to click the padlock icon to verify the security details.

[OcTradism]

Yet another helpful post, OcTradism.

Thank you for you words.

My best bet to avoid visiting scam sites has always been to follow my own intuition. Someone suggested visiting the social media accounts of these  platforms but that's a burst as I've seen scammy accounts that look exactly if not the same as the official one.

Relying on links and updates on social media is bad. If people can get phished by phishing websites and fake applications, they can certainly get phished by fake social media accounts. I only visit official social media accounts to get news. For things relate to updates (softwares, wallets) I will do my own works.

Talking about visiting only https  enabled sites, that works too. However, it's important to know that anyone can get an SSL certificate like Let's Encrypt which is even available for free.

Just because a site has HTTPS, doesn’t mean you can automatically trust it.

Ensure to click the padlock icon to verify the security details.

Again, don't totally rely on it. I read some topics on the forum about it but don't remember those topics. Hang on a few minutes, I will search and give you.

[notblox1]

I reported several fake applications recently, and as I saw many people installed then sadly.
People need to open eyes and make triple check if they are on official website.
Better to have official websites bookmarked in your browser than to search on Google.

[20kevin20]

But your advise here is not good. Social accounts can be hacked and compromised too so don't rely on any third party websites, search engines to visit official websites.

For sure, hence why I said that checking from multiple sources is something I advise. Almost anything could be compromised in the online world, so I'd rather not believe anything and be safe than skip a website verification and have damage occuring to my wallets.

At least with social media you can see when a certain change happened. If you have a website and someone gets to hack it, it could be as simple as the criminal redirecting your real site to his fake one. Chances are way lower to get onto a fake site if you verify whether the same link corresponds on multiple sites (e.g. an older article mentioning the website, a social media account, a Bitcointalk thread, maybe even asking a friend who uses it etc).

[Charles-Tim]

Ensure to click the padlock icon to verify the security details.

Ensure all sites are https means the padlock will be locked and that the connection is secure but very possible the sites itself to be scam is not ruled out, they can actually be scam. But you are right, the connection to the site is secure and contain no malware, so the information is useful.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Ensure to click the padlock icon to verify the security details.

Ensure all sites are https means the padlock will be locked and that the connection is secure but very possible the sites itself to be scam is not ruled out, they can actually be scam. But you are right, the connection to the site is secure and contain no malware, so the information is useful.

Those padlock signs and SSL are not an assurance that everything is perfect, and it's easy and cheap to get a SSL certificate.

I think it is not discussed is how you access your crypto, if you have the habit of always opening your wallet using "Public Wifi", chances are one of this days hackers can intercept your details like passwords and private keys. And then took all your crypto belongings in one swoop.

[DdmrDdmr]

<…>

• Always visit https sites.

<…>

That is really only going to ensure that the data you transfer/receive over the internet is encrypted, but it does not mean much nowadays in terms of the reliability of the site you connect to.

This is from a while back, but show us just how much the padlock means nowadays:

PhishLabs, the data source behind the link in the OP,  has an update report, and now places the mark at 68% for phishing sites using SSL (see https://info.phishlabs.com/blog/apwg-two-thirds-phishing-sites-ssl-https). Although their data for some Quarters decreases in percentage, it’s fair to assume that SSL certificates is a non-trustworthy indicator on its own, and that the assumption needs to clearly be demystified.

[o_e_l_e_o]

There are a lot more ways to validate a website's legitimacy, but this is all I can think of for now.

One of the best ways to prevent yourself from being a victim of phishing is to use a good password manager. It will not be fooled by similarly spelt domains, .orgs instead of .coms, homograph attacks, and so on. If you have it set up to auto-populate the username and password boxes and it fails to do so, then it means something is amiss.

Check app developer: The name of the developer should be correct in spelling.
Ensure to disable app installation from unknown sources.
Check app permissions: you must be smart with this,  dubious permissions are on app store.
Always read reviews of others.

You are correct in your suggestion not to trust the Google Play store or Apple App store, as they frequently host fake and malicious apps. The suggestions you have given do not prevent a user from downloading a fake app, though. In terms of the developer name, it is possible to use a name which appears legitimate or so similar to the real thing to be impossible to tell apart. If you saw six bitcoin wallet apps, for example, being developed by "Bitcoin Core", "Bitcoin Wallet", "Bitcoin Core Wallet", "Bitcoin developers", "Bitcoin Wallet developers", and "Bitcoin Core developers", would you be able to tell which one was the real thing? Most apps ask for unnecessary permissions, but the only permission an app needs is access to the internet and it can send your username/password/seed phrase/private keys/whatever to a scammer. Disabling app installation from unknown sources does nothing to prevent downloading scams from the app stores, and reviews can easily (and often are) faked in huge numbers.

The best way to download apps is directly from the developer, and verifying its signature prior to installing.

[Luzin]

Official website: https://www.binance.com/en

Many fake sites that harm us. They are very good at using loopholes, making web addresses look like the original,same interface. I think if you give advice about the official site address associated with crypto I think this is good. You can classify them into many categories. For example, Exchange Address, Wallet address, etc. Sory this is my opinion, if wrong ignore it.

[joniboini]

I think if you give advice about the official site address associated with crypto I think this is good. You can classify them into many categories. For example, Exchange Address, Wallet address, etc.

It's not really a bad idea but what that's just repeating what others already said, which is trusting another source without proper DD. I think the point that newbies should get from this thread is that if you don't know an official website of service, then look it from multiple sources. After that, always verify the apps you've downloaded to make sure you don't get a fake one.

[hatshepsut93]

Don't:
- Google to find official websites because you can find phishing sites.

I actually do google for official website when I want to get the site or install some software, but I don't just click on the first google result, instead I look at mentions of it from multiple sources and check that they all lead to the same address.

It's actually easier to verify the more popular sites, because they will be mentioned by other sites a lot, so despite all the phishing, you'll easily find the real one, but with some less obscure things, it's hard to find even the references to them. For example, it's hard to find a legitimate cracks for software by googling and nearly all results will have malware, and you'd need to get to some specialized forums to find links to relatively safe cracks.

[Wexnident]

It's all about judging something from its external appearance tbh. Anyone can notice a fake site as long as they pay much attention, especially when trying to visit a new one. Also, search engines aren't fake, and most results would probably result in the official site first before the phishing sites. Additionally, if you were to look up using search engines, you may chance upon a phishing site and an official site, with a bit of a good eye, you can notice the difference and see which is fake or not. Most phishing sites just adjust the name to MAKE it look like the original.

What to avoid is opening sites in forums and the like especially if the link title seems suspicious (first time seeing it for example). That, or when you see a link being spammed across various threads in a forum, avoid it, completely. That's one way to ensure safety.

[UserU]

I actually do google for official website when I want to get the site or install some software, but I don't just click on the first google result, instead I look at mentions of it from multiple sources and check that they all lead to the same address.

It's actually easier to verify the more popular sites, because they will be mentioned by other sites a lot, so despite all the phishing, you'll easily find the real one, but with some less obscure things, it's hard to find even the references to them. For example, it's hard to find a legitimate cracks for software by googling and nearly all results will have malware, and you'd need to get to some specialized forums to find links to relatively safe cracks.

It seems so wrong that a phishing/ malicious site could actually rank better than the original if that ever happens.

Usually those "top" results are from Google Ads. I fell for it once and shit, it was scary af.

[o_e_l_e_o]

For example, it's hard to find a legitimate cracks for software by googling and nearly all results will have malware, and you'd need to get to some specialized forums to find links to relatively safe cracks.

The only "safe" crack is one in which you have personally reviewed all the code yourself prior to compiling and running. If you do not have the knowledge to do that, then I would say there is no such thing as a "safe" crack.

The problem with these pieces of software is that you have no idea who has written them, and they are widely downloaded, often by people with very limited technical knowledge. Most anti-virus and anti-malware software will stop them from working, and so people will either whitelist them or disabled their anti-virus while they install them. They are therefore a very easy way to distribute malware. If you are going to use something like this, then I would suggest only using it on a computer which has no personal information at all, doesn't log in to any of your online accounts, and certainly has absolutely no connection to your bitcoin wallets.

Also, search engines aren't fake, and most results would probably result in the official site first before the phishing sites.

Not true. Google and other major search engines accept money from scammers to boost sites to the top of search results. Malicious sites often appear as the very first link.

Additionally, if you were to look up using search engines, you may chance upon a phishing site and an official site, with a bit of a good eye, you can notice the difference and see which is fake or not.

Not necessarily. If you don't know what the official site is (and why would you if you were Googling for it), could you tell which one was the real site between (for example):

• blockchain.com
• block-chain.com
• blockchain.org
• block-chain.org

[UserU]

Not true. Google and other major search engines accept money from scammers to boost sites to the top of search results. Malicious sites often appear as the very first link.

Take a look at this, how pathetic.