How To Spot a Fake NFT Store?

Just about everyone in the crypto community has their ears to the ground about NFTs. So much so that scammers have started hosting fake stores online to gain access to other people’s money. While scams are nothing new in the crypto world, NFTs pose a whole new problem. It is possible to create a fake. So, how do you spot a fake NFT store?

What is a Fake NFT Store?

Fake or replica stores have been a common occurrence in the online world. Now, scammers have begun constructing fake NFT stores. In March of 2021, there was a notable increase in the registration of suspicious domains copying popular NFT marketplaces. These included names like OpenSea, Solsea, and other popular NFT stores. The number of fake stores just keeps growing.

How Do You Spot a Fake NFT Store?

A replica or fake store will look a lot like a regular NFT store. So, they can be difficult to spot if you aren’t paying attention. They may imitate the look and feel of the real store’s website. In some cases, the fake NFT store will even use the brand’s logos and images. Even the website URL will look similar, but it won’t be the same.

That is one of the best ways to spot a fake NFT store. Look at the URL. Sometimes they will use something like hxxps://opensea123$.xyz. However, if you enter your login details into the fake site, the scammer will gain access to your information and proceed to wreak havoc on your life.

Avoiding Fake or Replica NFT Stores

Now that you know how to spot a fake NFT store, you may be wondering how you can avoid these problems altogether. There are a few things to be aware of when attempting to avoid replica NFT sites.

First, always check the site URL before performing business on any site or providing login details. As mentioned above, most scammers will use a fake URL to get people’s sensitive information. Only provide your login details on platforms you know and trust. If you are shopping with a new NFT site, think twice about entering your crypto wallet information before verifying the legitimacy of the store.

Watch for sales. Oftentimes, fake NFT stores put on sales to attract shoppers and capitalize on some people’s for a good deal.

Have a pop-up blocker installed on your browser. This will prevent you from accidentally interacting with any pop-ups on NFT scam sites. Sometimes pop-ups will show up prompting you to log in again, these can oftentimes be fake NFT sites trying to get access to your information. Block pop-ups on your browser to prevent this from happening.

Pay attention to alerts. If you have any kind of virus protection on your device it will warn you when you are accessing a dangerous site. Don’t just ignore the warning and continue on. You don’t want your data or any of your other information put at risk, trust me.

Originally published at https://www.morethanfinances.com.