11 ways to check if a website is legit

Have you unintentionally been on a scam website or fraudulent website? Do you know what a phishing site is? You might be surprised to know that there were 1 million new phishing sites and fake websites discovered in the first three months of 2022. (APWG)

It’s not always easy to know when you’re being scammed. To give you a helping hand, here are our trusted tips to help you take extra precautions online.

What are fake websites?

Fake websites are domains that have been created and set up deliberately to scam you. They’re not honest websites, they are online scammers.

How do fraudulent websites work?

Scam websites tend to try and trick you. They will try to get you to share your personal or financial information with them. Be extra cautious if a website is trying to get you to share information, such as, credit card details.

How do you check for scam websites?

It’s better to be safe than sorry when making online purchases. There are a few things to be on the lookout for before you enter your payment details. Here’s some tips on how to make sure it’s a legitimate company when you’re shopping online.

1. Look for the padlock…

A padlock is a valid certificate. You can find more information on the site’s certificate by either clicking on the padlock or just to the left of the browser’s address bar. If you do this and get a warning about a website’s certificate – be cautious about doing any online shopping there!

2. Check the address bar for the URL

The website address found within the address bar should begin “https://”. It means hypertext transfer protocol.

In other words, the ‘s’ stands for secure so you know you’re safe! If the website’s URL bar shows a website with “http” this could be a clue that it’s a fake website.

3. Check the Website Privacy Policy

A privacy policy is designed to tell visitors what information their website collects and what they intend to do with it.

This is one of many ways that companies can demonstrate they are complying with key principles of the GDPR.

The EU and UK data protection law requires every website to have one, so be sure to check this out before proceeding. Sites tend to display their privacy policy in the footer, contact page or about page.

4. Use a network you trust…

When it comes to making purchases online, always make sure you are using a secure network that you trust. Free wifi when out and about is great for browsing websites online. But steer clear of entering any personal details or making purchases when using public Wifi.

Instead, use your own mobile network to check out more securely.

5. Avoid deals that sound too good to be true

There is a good chance that if a deal sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you check the steps mentioned above to understand if the website is secure and safe before entering any of your personal details.

A good way of checking if the offer is legitimate is by comparing the prices to other sites, or by searching for online reviews.

6. Spelling mistakes

Poor spelling and grammar could be a sign that the website is not secure. Legitimate companies will have good quality information and imagery.

Most legitimate companies will have:

• Information about the business and their history
• Contact information
• Customer reviews

If a website doesn’t have this information make sure you think twice before entering your details.

7. Check for their physical address

Do a quick Google of the website you’re on to check the website’s credibility. Most legitimate companies will have a Google business listing (below). If you can’t find an actual address for the website you’re on, it could be a fraudulent website.

8. Check the domain age and name

Fake sites aren’t usually online for very long. Who is Lookup is a free to use website which will provide information about the website in question.

What to look for:

• How old is the domain?
• What is the location of the website?
• Do the details of the website match up to the details of the company?

9. Check for reports of scams on this site

Do a little bit of research on the website’s name. If you can quickly find reports of other scams from this website, it’s likely online fraud and not a legitimate website you should trust.

10. Look for fake reviews

How do you look for fake reviews? Some of the easy ways to tell if reviews are not legitimate are:

• All reviews are very similar
• All reviews are very new
• Don’t go into much detail – like a normal shopper might!

11. Do they have a returns policy easily accessible?

Another way to tell if a website is a scam is to hunt down the returns policy. In fact, it should be really easy to find! Legitimate companies will make it easy for you to see information on deliveries and refunds.

So if you can’t find those details, or anyway to contact the company think twice before entering any personal information.

What social media presence do they have?

Head to Instagram, Facebook and any other social platforms. Can you find this company, first of all? If you can’t find any social media presence, it might be a fake website.

What to do if you think you’ve spent money on a fraud website?

You should always contact your bank straightaway if you think your card has been used fraudulently. Many banks offer a variety of support and advice services to protect you from being a victim of fraud and to help you if you have been.

Make sure you also change any passwords on websites or through apps so you can help protect your sensitive information from being accessed.

How to steer clear of text scams

With the popularity of instant messaging at an all-time high, it’s no wonder that more and more scams are happening through text messages.

SMS (text message) phishing scams come in a variety of forms, whether it’s someone claiming to be from HMRC to provide you with a refund or being offered a “once-in-a-lifetime unmissable deal.”

Either way, more often than not, it will be a ploy to get you to provide your personal details and access to your money. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true – it probably is! Our advice is to always check, be sure, and if ever in doubt – delete! 

• Familiarise yourself with the corporations you deal with regularly and how they usually communicate with you – often they’ll stick to the same avenues to communicate but be on the lookout for anything that doesn’t look like it’s from them
• Check the number – if this looks unusual, it could be a scam. You can also look up phone numbers online to see if they’re from a trusted source
• You should never be asked for any unusual personal details by text
• If you’re still in doubt, contact the company directly yourselves to check with them – using a reliable phone number or email that you have previously used for them
• You can report any phishing emails, phone calls or texts to the relevant government bodies to be investigated

What to do if you “fall victim” for the scam website?

It may seem like a scary situation to be in, but you’re definitely not alone. The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that there were 3,863,000 fraud offences in the year ending June 2019.

But what should you do if you unfortunately happen to encounter one?

• Report it to your bank straight away – they’ll help you to cancel any credit cards used for transactions and raise a case to investigate the fraud
• Inform your mobile phone carrier – you’ll need to provide details of the number and the incident to them
• Ensure the number is blocked – your mobile network provider can help you to do this
• Change your passwords – don’t forget to create new passwords for your mobile banking apps, social media accounts, emails and anywhere else that holds your sensitive information.

We’re here for you

Being surrounded by potential scams can make the online world seem unsettling – but there’s no reason why it should be when you take the right steps to online safety.

As broadband and connectivity experts, we want to play our part in helping you stay safe online. If you have run through all the above steps and are still worried, please do get in touch with us on [email protected] and we will be able to advise you further.