12 Surefire Ways To Know That A Website Is A Fake, Fraud or Scam

In the past 4 years that I have been actively making money online, I have also been a victim of some unscrupulous fellows who were pretending to be real while masking their evil intentions.

Because I have been a victim, I would love to share with you some of the common traits of these fraudulent and scam sites, so that you do not fall prey to their whim too.

Here are some easy steps on how to determine if a website is a fake, fraud, or scam:

1.      The Domain Name 

A lot of fraudulent websites will use a domain name similar to a brand name.

I have seen fake sites related to Calvin Klein, Nike, Buffalo, and more recently, Salomon.

These domain names might be www.nikesuperdiscounts or www.buffalocollection or www.salomonshop (these are not real sites, but examples).

If a company has a trademark on their name, their website usually matches the company name.

2.      No Contact Information 

If the website does not have a contact us page, or it if does and it only offers a form to fill out, this is a strong indicator of fraud.

Any company offering products or services, should have a place of business (location) as well as a phone number and email to contact them.

If none of this information is available, then they likely just want your credit card info.

3.      Check the Grammar and Spelling 

If the fake website is attempting to present itself as an American or Canadian business, they will usually use English text.

However, there will quite often be horrible grammar and spelling mistakes on the website.

Many of these mistakes would be obvious to a native speaker of English; excessive use of poor grammar and spelling should be an instant red flag.

4.      Check the WHOIS – Do a domain WHOIS lookup to see who owns the domain.

The result will tell you the registrar (company that the domain was purchased through), when it was created, when it expires as well as contact details.

Another key observation to look for is how long the domain has existed. If it has been active for less than a year, then it is most likely a scam website.

5.      Test the Contact Information

 If the website does list contact information, call, write or email the site, using their contact details, to check if it works.

If you get an automatic voice messaging system, the number is not in service, or no one answers during business hours, then exercise caution.

6.      Check if the Login, Create Account, and Payment Pages are Secure

Many fake or fraudulent sites will not bother to buy an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate.

SSL certificates secure the transfer of your data when you submit sensitive information (creating an account, or submitting payment info) and cost money.

A scam site, quite often, won’t bother with an SSL certificate, as the site will likely be shutdown within a couple months after the fraud has been reported.

 If the website is legitimate and secure, they will have HTTPS on the URL and a lock icon.

7.      Check the Shipping and Return Policy 

If the website is selling a product over the internet, they will have a shipping and return policy listed on their site.

If it is a real company, they should tell you how and where to return a defective product.

If they are shipping a product, they should give you an idea how long it will take to arrive.

If they have no return address and a vague shipping policy, do not shop at that website.

8.      Check the Domain Name in Google

If you type the domain name into Google, if it is a real site, there should be links to that website from other websites.

If only the domain comes up and no other search result appears for that domain name, then it is very suspicious.

9.      Watch out for invasive advertising.

If your selected site has a stunningly large number of ads crowding the page or ads that automatically play audio, it's probably not a credible site.

Additionally, consider looking elsewhere if you encounter any of the following types of ads:

          *Ads that take up the whole page

          *Ads that require you to take a survey (or complete some other action) before continuing

          *Ads that redirect you to another page

          *Explicit or suggestive ads

10.    Check with the BBB

 Go to the Better Business Bureau website and see if the company has any reviews.

Doing business with a site that has good or no reviews is better than one with many negative reviews.

Like always though, buyer beware.

11.    Check Other People’s Reviews

Type the website’s domain name, followed by “reviews”, into a search engine.

Ideally, you will discover search results for other people’s experiences in dealing with the website.

If there are many negative customer reviews, then you will most likely want to avoid the site altogether.

12.    Using a Google Transparency Report

Open the Google Transparency Report webpage. 

You can quickly run a website's address through this service to see its safety rating from Google.

a.       Click the "Search by URL" field. It's in the middle of the page.

b.      Type in your website's URL. 

                   This includes the name of the website (e.g., "anyhow") and the extension (e.g., ".com").

For best results, copy your website's URL and paste it into this field.

c.       Click the blue magnifying glass button

d.      Review your results. Sites range in rating from "No data available" to "Not dangerous" to "Partially dangerous" and so on.

For example, sites like WikiHow and YouTube achieve "Not dangerous" ratings from Google, whereas Reddit garners a "Partially dangerous" rating due to "deceptive content" (e.g., misleading advertising).

The Google Transparency Report also provides examples of why it gave a certain site a rating, so you can decide for yourself whether or not the rating rationale pertains to you.

Being a victim of a scam is never a pleasant experience.

Follow these simple guidelines to protect yourself online and create the best possible shopping experience.

If the site you’re viewing feels suspicious, take a moment to research and investigate it before making a purchasing decision.