Copycat company website warning
Sites that imitate a real shipping or manning company. How to tell the real one from the imitation.
What it looks like
A website that uses the logo and copy of a major shipping or manning company but with a slightly different domain (.co, .org, .net, .info, or a typo like 'maerks-careers.com'). The 'careers' page lists urgent vacancies. The contact email is generic. The recruitment process leads to payment requests.
Red flags
- Slightly off domain name.
- Outdated copyright year.
- Broken internal links beyond the careers page.
- Contact email on a free domain.
- No verifiable physical address.
- Stock-photo team page.
How to verify
- Search for the real corporate website. Match the registered domain in the 'whois' or DNS lookup.
- Cross-check the address with company filings (Companies House UK, SEC US, MOM Singapore, etc.).
- Look up the company on /companies.
Related
Primary sources
- ITF — Job scams targeting seafarers site unreachable
Medium confidence
Last verified