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Lookalike domain

URLs that look like a brand you trust, with one or two characters off.

How it works

Attackers register domains like paypa1.com, arnazon.com, or microsoft-secure-login.com and host pixel-perfect copies of the real site to harvest logins.

Red flags

  • Numbers replacing letters (1 for l, 0 for o)
  • Hyphens between brand and a generic word
  • Brand on an unusual TLD (.zip, .top, .click)

Real-world example

"https://account-secure-microsoft.click"

What to do

  1. 01Always type the brand's URL yourself or use a saved bookmark.
  2. 02Use a password manager — it won't autofill on lookalike domains.
  3. 03Report phishing pages to Google Safe Browsing.

Related scams

Email phishing

Fake emails impersonating brands to steal credentials.

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