dot-con

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(1) For the .com domain name, see dot-com.

(2) A scam on the Internet, which offers crooks and zealous marketers a wealth of opportunities to express their creativity. For example, people sell merchandise through online auctions that is not the quality advertised. There are countless products offered via spam, popup ads and ordinary websites that have prices "too good to be true."

Be Aware

Any site claiming to need your credit card for verification, such as to check your age, is suspect. It might be legitimate, but the real purpose may be to steal your card number. Also be wary of any website that requires a download to view it. Every website should be accessible from any browser (Edge, Safari, Chrome, etc.).

It's Easy to Fake a Website

Anybody can create a fake website using pages from a legitimate one. The Web browser makes it a snap to copy pages from any site, which means the most official looking site can be a dot-con. One easy way to tell is to look at the URL address. For example, if the page is supposedly coming from HP, but instead of an hp.com address, the URL is different... beware!

Read the Fine Print

No different than receiving junk mail from the post office, read the fine print carefully on any Web page offering a deal that sounds extraordinary. See Web cramming.