Is The Website Real

In the good old days, it was enough for a website URL to have an SSL certificate (that's the padlock in the address bar) and start with HTTPS, but that's no longer the case. Fraudsters can now obtain a lock for their website within seconds, so you cannot rely on this feature alone.

Typically, you should be able to click on the icon, and it can take you to a separate page to verify that it is legitimate rather than a copycat, but this can also be forged. If you feel like you're on a scam website, we advise exiting immediately rather than on a detective mission! 

Most websites use ads. It's entirely normal to do so. But there shouldn't be so many ads interfering with your user experience (we're talking to you YouTube!) If there are tens of pop-up ads making it hard to use the website, they may be trying to catch you out. Websites allow you to block ads, but the best thing to do is get anti-virus software. They're pretty popular and have competitive pricing.

Hey! There's nothing wrong with a few errors! Despite popular opinion, content writers aren't perfect. Still, a lot of spelling and grammar errors can indicate that a website was rushed into launching so that they can take your money and then disappear.

This alone isn't a massive red flag unless it's hard to read the website because of the errors, but it can be used with our other tips to keep yourself safe from time-efficient fraudsters!

Some deals are too good to be true. If you're getting full dining set for £20, you might want to manage your expectations and prepare yourself to receive barbie furniture! If anything at all arrives. Scammers want you to be so wowed by their offer that you purchase without fully considering the purchase. This is where reading reviews comes in handy!

Not only will this tell you whether the product that you want to get is as pictured and well-produced, but it will also tell you if other shoppers had a good experience! Make sure to look for reviews placed outside of the website you're shopping for, as scammers can alter, fake or delete reviews!

Legitimate sites will display a full refund policy and the terms and conditions for a refund. Scammers will often skip these pages as they're not planning on upholding the procedure anyway, and it can be time-consuming to the right and add as a website page.

Even if the website is legit, it is good to check the refund and return policy to ensure that you're going to be looked after even post-purchase.

You should be offered more than one payment option. If a site only lets you use your debit card, this could indicate fraud. If you're shopping from them for the first time, you can use a second-hand service like PayPal, which has buyer protection and holds the funds of non-reputable sellers who have a history of fraud or haven't made enough sales yet.

The URL is the first giveaway of fraud and can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. Scammers tend to imitate legitimate websites so look out for different words, punctuation or typos when typing in a URL (does anyone still do that?) Try to go through the link of a verified social media page or double-check that the URL is the same as the one you've used before!

We have to stress that no one of these points alone will indicate that a website is fake, and there are ways around all of these for criminals. But they are unlikely to do all of them at once. So, if you feel unsafe shopping on a website, don't. The market is saturated; there will be others like it. Stay Safe!

A ton of false sites will utilize an area name that references a notable brand or item name. Be that as it may, it won't be the authority site.

For instance, site spaces, for example, www.ipadoffers.net or www.discountnikeclothes.com, should raise alerts.

Likewise, it would be best to be wary of areas that end in .net or .organization, as they are seldom utilized for web-based shopping, so problematic associations may have procured them.

Alerts should ring, assuming you are approached to pay for something on the web through a bank move.

Assuming you purchase something that ends up being phoney or non-existent with a credit or check card, you do reserve a few options to get your cashback.

Be that as it may, assuming you pay by bank move, there's tiny you can do to get your money back.

It should be a warning assuming you notice a likeness in the audits across a few sites.

Perusing surveys, you could see an entire set utilizing comparable word groupings and composing style.

This regularly implies the analysts are either replicating data or that the surveys were utterly composed by a similar individual.

Look out for surveys from new records. A portion of the audits ought to be from long-standing individuals from the site.

You could observe the individual has looked into many sites, which gives them more believability than somebody who's just investigated one place.

Realities are significant in a survey; have no faith in an audit assuming facts or noteworthy data is light on the ground.

Additionally, a survey that offers no personal perspective likely could be phoney - and regardless, it's anything but a lot of help.

For this situation, it's likely best to give any dubious site a miss.

Information in this publication is provided for general information only, and it does not purport to include every aspect of the topics with which it deals. You should not take it as advice. Prior to taking, or refraining from taking, any action based on the content of this publication, you should seek professional or specialist advice. Kixy LTD or its affiliates are not rendering legal, tax or other advice through the content of this publication. A similar outcome is not guaranteed. The content in the publication does not represent, warrant or guarantee, either expressly or impliedly, that it is current, accurate, complete, or up-to-date.