The Port of Rotterdam has warned customers and maritime stakeholders to be alert to fake copies of its website set up to trick users into disclosing confidential information or paying fraudulent invoices.
Criminals regularly set up fake copies of the port’s website and in some cases, these fake sites are almost an exact copy and virtually indistinguishable from the real site.
“Cybercriminals don’t just copy the layout of our site – they often use URLs that are very similar to the one used by the Port Authority. This adds to the impression of legitimacy. For this reason, always check whether you are navigating within www.portofrotterdam.com,” stressed the port.
It urged people to ensure they have navigated to the correct URL and that they are communicating with the firm in question, advising them to be extra cautious when directed to its website from an email or other channel.
“If the URL appears to contain a typo or spelling mistake, there is a strong chance that it was set up by criminals for the specific purpose of misleading visitors to the legitimate website,” the port stated.
It is very simple for criminals to copy legitimate websites and the websites of companies located in Rotterdam’s port area are frequently copied to try and scam visitors.
Websites for storage spoofing is becoming increasingly common. Storage spoofing is the sale of non-existent storage capacity, raw materials or other stocks, which the criminal claims to hold at terminals in Rotterdam’s port area.
