Referrer spam URLs are have recently started using new strings in their URLs such as website-stealer-warning and website-stealer in order to cause anxiety, shock, and fear, which can provoke data enthusiasts and professionals to visit the spam websites. An example of these new websites are website-stealer-warning.hdmoviecamera.net and website-stealer.nufaq.com. These domains target Google Analytics data with deceptive ghost traffic that never actually lands on the websites they target, but instead points at the user’s Google Analytics ID and tracking number.
Related: Fake copyright claims are targeting your Google Analytics data with referrals
The deceptive URL strings might make a website owner or webmaster believe that “website stealer” software may be used against their websites or that the website owner may have been caught stealing content from a third-party source. “Website stealer” software is a real thing. However, this is not the case with these new lines of referrer spam strings. The new website-stealer strings are simply designed to gain attention and bait users into visiting the referrer spam websites.
The deceptive URLs help the spam websites gain attention and website visitors and in doing so this can help the spam websites get popular and boost their search engine rank.
How to block “website-stealer” and “website-stealer-warning” referrals
If you notice referral traffic in Google Analytics with website-stealer or website-stealer-warning in the domain do not be alarmed. This data will not harm your website or affect your website’s rank, but it will ruin your appropriate Google Analytics data. If you value your website’s appropriate Google Analytics data we recommend to view our guide to help you block referrer spam from affecting your data.
Here are some helpful links to help you combat this deceptive referral traffic:
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