Computer criminals have found a whole new way to steal your identity. All it takes is a botched keystroke or a missed letter on the keyboard.
It's called typosquatting.
"It's scary because I think it's something I would fall victim to and not even notice," said college student Denyse Nizam.
"It's pretty easy to type one letter wrong and not pay attention," said college student Meghan Anderson.
If you're shopping on a popular website like Wal-Mart or Target, but accidentally type in walmat.com or targer.com, you can be redirected to a bogus site that looks like the retailer's real page.
The next thing you know, you may be giving your name, address and credit card to an identity thief.
CBS 5 News discovered a fake Best Buy logo and were directed to exclusive offer when the wrong letter was typed in heading to Best Buy's website.
One letter off from the JCPenney website will give you a chance to win a free iPad.
An internet security firm has identified at least 2,000 typosquatters.
CBS 5 computer expert Bryan Schiele said there are ways you can protect yourself.
"If you're going to your email account or online stores, you should set up a bookmark for it so you know you've been there before," said Schiele. "You trust that location and you don't have to type it in and guess."
A number of major retailers like Amazon, Wal-Mart and Sears are also taking precautions by buying up domain names with misspellings so customers are automatically redirected to the right site.
A lot of internet users plan to pay more attention.
"It's a risk every time you use the internet," said Nizam.
It is illegal in the United States to buy a domain name similar to a big company with the intent to commit fraud.
However, many of these sites come from other countries, Schiele said.
If you are a victim, contact the major retailer directly to file a complaint.
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