Those doing some last-minute holiday shopping online should be careful before going forward with purchases — that website may not be what it seems.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned consumers about the threat of being directed to “spoofed” sites or social media accounts posing as legitimate or well-known brands.

Scammers use website spoofing to create a fake website or social media account by copying another site’s content, according to Nessel’s consumer alert, https://www.michigan.gov/consumerprotection/protect-yourself/consumer-alerts/business/website-spoofing. These spoofed accounts can be used to steal passwords, install harmful malware on personal devices, or trick the buyer into purchasing an item that may never be received or may be a knock-off of the name brand ordered.

Spoofing also harms businesses by damaging the company’s reputation, causing a loss of customer trust or even financial losses for businesses related to remediating the damage, Nessel advised in the alert. Steps for businesses that have been spoofed can be located on the AG’s Business Identity Theft, https://www.michigan.gov/consumerprotection/identity-theft/business-identity-theft.

Oftentimes, individuals are led to a spoofed website from a phishing email or a smishing text, the AG explained. The message may present an urgent need to login to an individual account to stop suspicious activity or to avoid account cancellation. The person may be directed to open an attachment or click on a link that will contain a spoofed URL disguised as a legitimate business website. Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails, Michigan Consumer Protection advised.

Nessel and the Better Business Bureau recommend consumers follow these practices to protect themselves:

— Examine the URL or social media handle to ensure the site is the real one and not a spoof. Giveaways could include misspellings, poor grammar on websites or social media accounts that were recently created or lack reviews.

— Pay attention to the quality of the website. Spoofed websites are likely to be of lower quality than their legitimate counterparts.

­– Don t click on links in websites or text messages — instead visit the URL known to be true.

— Consumers can also use a fake website checker such as Google’s Safe Browsing tool to help determine if a website is real or legitimate.

To file a complaint with the state Attorney General’s office or get additional information, contact: Consumer Protection Team, P.O. Box 30213, Lansing, MI 48909; call 517-335-7599 or toll-free 877-765-8388; or fax to 517-241-3771.