Before you type your card number, address, or password into a website, it's worth spending sixty seconds looking around. Scammers rely on people moving fast — clicking through an ad, an urgent email, or a search result without stopping to check. The good news is that most warning signs are easy to spot once you know where to look, and none of the checks below require special tools or technical skill.
Look closely at the web address
The address bar is the fastest place to catch a fake. Type the shop or brand name into a search engine yourself instead of clicking a link from an email, text message, or social media ad, and compare what you get to the address you were sent.
- Check the spelling carefully — extra letters, hyphens, or swapped characters (like "amaz0n" or "paypal-secure-login.com") are classic scam signs.
- Be wary of long, odd domain endings or a brand name tacked onto an unrelated domain, such as "yourbrand-shop-deals.xyz".
- A padlock icon just means the connection is encrypted — it does not mean the site is honest. Scam sites can have padlocks too, so don't treat it as a full guarantee.
Check how long the site has existed
New websites aren't automatically dangerous, but a shop claiming to be an established brand that was only registered a few weeks ago is a red flag. You can look up a domain's registration date using a free "WHOIS" lookup tool — search "WHOIS lookup" and paste the address in. If a site selling designer goods at huge discounts was created last month, that tells you something.
Read the reviews — but read them properly
Search the site's name along with words like "reviews," "scam," or "complaints." A few things to watch for:
- Reviews that are all five stars, posted in a short burst of time, using similar phrasing, are often fake.
- Genuine review platforms usually show a mix of ratings and detailed, specific complaints or praise.
- No reviews at all for a site that claims to have thousands of happy customers is itself suspicious.
- Check independent forums or social media too — a quick search often surfaces recent complaints that don't show up on the retailer's own page.
Look for real contact information
Trustworthy businesses want to be found. Check for a physical address, a working phone number, and a real customer service email — not just a contact form. Try searching the address to see if it actually corresponds to a business location. If the only way to reach anyone is via a generic web form or a messaging app, be cautious.
Check the policies, not just that they exist
Almost every scam site has a returns policy page and a privacy policy — but often it's vague, copied from elsewhere, or contradicts itself. Skim for specifics: how long do you have to return something, who pays return shipping, what happens if an item never arrives. If the policy is generic boilerplate with no real detail, treat it as a warning sign rather than reassurance.
Notice the pressure tactics
Scam and low-quality sites often lean heavily on urgency: countdown timers, "only 2 left in stock," pop-ups claiming other people are buying right now, or deep discounts that seem too good for a well-known brand. Genuine retailers use promotions too, but constant, aggressive urgency across every page is a common manipulation tactic designed to stop you from thinking twice.
Check payment options
Legitimate stores usually offer standard, traceable payment methods — major card networks, or well-known payment services. Be cautious if a site insists on:
- Direct bank transfers only
- Cryptocurrency as the sole payment option
- Gift cards as payment
- Unusual third-party payment apps with no buyer protection
These methods are harder to reverse if something goes wrong, and scammers prefer them for exactly that reason.
Trust your browser's own warnings
Modern browsers already do some of this checking for you. If you get a warning about a deceptive or unsafe site, don't dismiss it just because the page looks legitimate — these warnings are based on data about reported scam and phishing sites and are worth taking seriously.
A quick one-minute checklist
- Did I type the address myself instead of clicking a link?
- Does the spelling and domain look exactly right?
- Does the site have a real registration history and reviews from multiple sources?
- Is there a genuine address, phone number, and specific return policy?
- Am I being pushed to act fast or pay in an unusual way?
None of these checks take long individually, and together they take less time than checking out. Building the habit of pausing before you buy or share personal details is one of the simplest ways to protect yourself online — and it works just as well for a brand-new shop as it does for a site you think you already recognize.