If you’ve ever received an email or clicked a link that looked almost right but something felt off, you may have brushed up against one of today’s fastest-growing cyber threats: look-alike domains.
These deceptive web addresses are designed to mimic legitimate ones, often by swapping or adding a single character. A lowercase “l” becomes a capital “I,” a hyphen sneaks into the middle of the name, or a “.ai” replaces a “.com.”
On the surface, it looks identical. But behind the scenes, it’s a trap – one that can lead to stolen passwords, fraudulent payments, or full-blown identity theft. And it’s happening more often than you might think.
A cautionary tale
Not long ago, a Chinese-based hacking group registered calvinklein as an ai domain, a site that closely mirrored the famous calvinklein.com. While it appeared authentic, it wasn’t.
The counterfeit domain was used to mislead consumers and damage the brand’s credibility. The real Calvin Klein company eventually had to take legal action to reclaim their digital identity.
Now, you might be thinking, “That’s Calvin Klein – big companies have to deal with that sort of thing.” But here’s the reality: size doesn’t matter. Small and mid-sized businesses are just as vulnerable (sometimes even more so) because they often don’t have the resources to monitor, detect, or fight back against these digital impersonations.
Why it matters for Michigan businesses
Imagine one of your clients or vendors receives an email that looks like it came from your office. The sender name matches. The logo looks right. The message says there’s been a change in your payment details – and includes a link to your “new” online portal.
They trust you, so they click.
But the site they’re taken to isn’t yours. It’s a copy designed to steal credentials or reroute payments straight into a criminal’s account.
These attacks don’t just cost money. They damage reputation and trust – the two things local businesses like ours depend on most.
Once a client has been scammed in your name, it takes months (sometimes years) to rebuild that confidence.
How to protect your brand
Thankfully, there are simple, proactive steps that can help prevent this from happening to your business:
1. Register multiple versions of your domain.
Secure the obvious variations of your company name, including .com, .net, and .org, as well as common misspellings. It’s far cheaper to own them than to buy them back later from a squatter or a scammer.
2. Set up domain monitoring.
Cybersecurity partners like Tech Experts can watch for new registrations that look suspiciously similar to your brand. If one appears, you’ll know right away – and can take action before harm is done.
3. Trademark your name and logo.
A registered trademark doesn’t just protect your branding; it gives you legal leverage if someone tries to impersonate your business online.
At Tech Experts, we’ve trademarked both our company name (“Tech Experts®”) and our company logo. There is a cost involved, but it provides a great layer of protection.
4. Train your team.
Phishing emails often use look-alike domains to slip past filters. Make sure your staff knows how to spot these red flags – things like misspelled URLs, odd payment requests, or unexpected file attachments.
5. Act fast if you suspect fraud.
If you discover a domain that’s posing as your business, notify your IT partner immediately. Early action can help minimize financial loss and legal exposure.
A final word on trust
At Tech Experts, we take these issues seriously. We will never send an email requesting funds to be transferred to a new location or payment method without direct authentication.
If you ever receive a message that seems to be from us but doesn’t feel right… pause. Do not reply or click links. Call us directly at (734) 457-5000 to confirm before taking any action. Our accounting team is the only authorized source for payment verification.
Education is still the best cybersecurity tool you have. If your team hasn’t gone through Security Awareness Training recently- or if you’d like help setting up domain monitoring for your business, let’s talk. We’ll help you stay one step ahead of the scammers who make a living pretending to be someone you trust.