How to tell if a website is safe
No single check proves a site is safe. These nine take about two minutes together and catch most of the bad ones.
1. Read the address, letter by letter
Scammers register look-alike domains: paypa1.com, amazon-support-help.com, yourbank.secure-login.net. Only the part right before the first single slash and after the last dot-separated name counts. In login.yourbank.secure-login.net the real site is secure-login.net, not your bank.
2. Treat the padlock as the minimum, not a verdict
HTTPS means the connection is encrypted. It does not mean the owner is honest: fraud sites use HTTPS too. A missing padlock is a reason to stop. A present one is only a reason to keep checking.
3. Find out how old the domain is
A shop that claims to be a decade old but whose domain was registered last month is a strong warning. Free WHOIS or RDAP lookups show the registration date.
4. Look for a real business behind it
A physical address, a company name you can search, a working phone number and a clear returns policy. Copied or missing details, or a contact form that is the only way to reach anyone, are weak signs on their own and bad ones together.
5. Be suspicious of prices that make no sense
Brand-name goods at 70% off, or “limited stock” timers that reset when you reload, are classic pressure tactics.
6. Check how you are asked to pay
Credit cards and PayPal-style checkouts give you a dispute route. Bank transfers, gift cards and crypto usually do not. If the only option is one of those, walk away.
7. Search the name plus “scam” or “reviews”
Use a search engine, not links on the site itself. Ignore star ratings on the site and look for independent threads, but remember that fake reviews exist everywhere, including search results.
8. Look at what the site asks for
A newsletter that wants your card number, a download that wants admin rights or a login that wants your bank password for no reason are all red flags. Give a site only what the task needs.
9. See what other people reported
This is the check CheckMySource exists for. Look the site up and read the verdict for the exact thing you want to do: logging in, paying, uploading files or writing notes. A site can be fine for one and bad for another. If there are fewer than five reports we say so rather than guess.
Check the site you are about to use
Type a website and see what people reported about logging in, paying, uploading files and writing notes. No account needed.
Common questions
Can a website with HTTPS still be a scam?
Is a new website always unsafe?
How long does it take to check a site?
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General information, not legal or financial advice. Ratings on CheckMySource report what people said; they are not audits. How ratings work.