The login page looked exactly right. The logo, the layout, the padlock in the corner. That's not a coincidence, it's the entire product.
In a single year the NCSC removed 1.2 million scam campaigns, and it now completes half of its takedowns within an hour of a report. That kind of speed exists because the fakes are convincing and they reproduce faster than anyone can pull them down.
It's also got harder recently. A cloned voice on the phone that sounds like someone you love, asking for help. Video that holds up until you know what to look for. The good news is that counterfeits still have tells, and one habit catches most of them in seconds: reading the actual address before you type anything into it.
What you get
Address-bar anatomy. How to read a web address the way a forger does. What's decoration, what's the real domain, and where in that string the lie is usually hiding.
The Verify Ladder. Four tiers of confidence, from "it looks right", which is the weakest evidence there is, up to going there directly yourself, which is the only one that can't be faked.
AI forgery tells. What currently gives away cloned voices, deepfake video and machine-written text. Written with the honest caveat that this is the fastest-moving part of the subject.
The Decision Matrix. One process for a link, a login page, an app install, or an urgent call, so you're not inventing a method while somebody waits on the line.
A 50-minute action plan. Bookmark the real versions of the sites that matter, audit what's already installed on your phone, and drill five genuine addresses until reading them is automatic.
Six self-tests built on the master skill: naming the true domain, every time, without hesitating.
This is for you if
- You've clicked a link in a message without checking where it went
- You couldn't reliably tell a real login page from a good copy
- You've seen enough about voice cloning to be uneasy and want an actual defence rather than a vague worry
- You install apps without thinking much about where they came from
- You want a method you can teach to somebody else in your family
By the last page
You'll read addresses properly, verify before you trust rather than after, and have a working eye for counterfeits across sites, apps and AI-made forgeries.
Course details
- Format: downloadable PDF, 13 pages
- Time to complete: 50 to 65 minutes
- Series: Course 09 of 20, GhostNet Cyber Fundamentals
- Track: Track B, Threats and How to Spot Them (Course 4 of 5)
- Prerequisites: none, though Courses 06 and 08 pair naturally with it
- Works on: any device, any operating system
- Level: complete beginner, no technical background needed
Buy with confidence
Every course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn't useful, email us within 30 days and we'll refund you in full. You don't need to give a reason.
Where to go next
Course 10, What to Do If You've Been Hacked, closes Track B with the recovery plan for when something gets through anyway. Or take Threats and How to Spot Them, the five-course bundle covering Courses 06 to 10, for £100 instead of £150.
