Fake sites exploit search rankings, police warn

Hyderabad: Police on Thursday warned people not to fall prey to search engine rankings when deciding to contact a service, as cyber fraudsters are attempting to exploit this.Police stated that fraudsters are increasingly using advanced search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to achieve prominent visibility."Fraudsters are exploiting search engine rankings to deceive online users. Many people assume that websites appearing at the top of search results, or marked as ‘Sponsored', are trustworthy. However, high visibility on a search engine does not guarantee legitimacy," said Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar.People searching for customer care numbers or other websites often click on links appearing at the top of search results, assuming them to be genuine, as they closely resemble legitimate sites."Because these fake sites rank high in search results, users are more likely to click on them, which may prompt them to share personal details, login credentials, or make payments, resulting in financial loss and potential identity theft," the police added.