How to Tell If a Shopping Website Is Fake

The best way to avoid being scammed is to know the tactics and signs of a fake site. wk1003mike/Shutterstock

You might be looking for that hard-to-find item or trying to find the best deal. But in your hunt, you could end up on a fraudulent site. There are fake sites that exist to take your money and leave you with inferior or no goods.

But how do you spot these fraudulent sites? The best way to avoid being scammed is to know the tactics and signs of a fake site. This way, you can protect your money and peace of mind.

Be Suspect of Ads and Hard-to-Find Products

Ads are placed on social media to lure people to a fraudulent shopping site. Some of these ads are based on products you’ve been searching for online.

For example, if you’ve been searching online for a specific toy, you'll suddenly start receiving ads for that toy.

If it’s a hard-to-find item, you may be tricked into shopping at their site since they will claim to have the much sought-after item. Between the ads and the promise of the product, you may be tempted to pull out that credit card. But you might want to resist that urge and do further research.

Check the URL

A scammer can use a popular store website. Fake websites may appear to have legitimate uniform resource locators (URLs), but actually have spelling mistakes in them. They will include misspellings or characters that look similar to legitimate sites to fool you. They do this by replacing a letter, like using a zero instead of an “o.”

For example, the site could say: https://www.appIe.com instead of https://www.apple.com. In the first example, the letter “I” has replaced the letter “l.” It’s a subtle difference, but it could be the difference between a legitimate site and a fake one.

Always check the URL. If something seems off, move on to another site.

Check Domain Age and Ownership

Fake websites usually don’t stay up very long. They’re always slightly ahead of the posse. So, knowing how long a site has been around will help you determine its legitimacy. If a site is only a few months old, it might be fake.

Look for detailed domain information on sites like Whois Lookup. This will tell you when the domain was created and who registered it.

Besides checking the domain age, look at the contact information. Does it have a phone number, address, or email address? Many fake sites don’t have this information.

If it does have an address, check it on Google Maps to see if it’s legitimate. A simple call to the phone number will also tell you what you’re dealing with.

Poor Quality Design and Photos

Scam sites don’t look as nice as legitimate sites. Fraudulent sites have often been thrown up in a hurry. That means there could be pixelated images and photos.

Because the scammers use simple sites, there are often functionality and navigation issues. You might find it difficult to get from point A to point B.

Look for broken links. If you find sections of the site that don’t work, you’re probably not on a legitimate website.

Poor spelling and grammar are also indicators. Scammers don’t take the time to edit content as legitimate site owners do. You’ll often see awkward phrasing in descriptions. This is particularly true if the site is owned by non-natives.

Check Their Policies

All websites should have legal information. This includes a return policy and a terms and conditions policy. Read their return and shipping policy. All these policies should be clearly marked in the header or footer of the site. If a website doesn’t have these policies, leave it.

Search for Potential Scams and User Reviews

Online reviews are not always reliable. This is especially true with heavily curated on-site reviews. But you can still garner some information from other people’s experiences. If you have questions, search on Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or even Reddit, to see if there are any bad reviews or scam warnings.

The BBB has a scam tracker. Go to their site and click “look up scam.” Then, under “look up scam by,” you'll need to designate a website. You then enter the website’s name. Hint: copy and paste the website URL into this so you have it exactly as it is.

Social Media and Online Presence

Most companies have a presence on social media. They often have multiple accounts with up-to-date information. Legitimate companies are active online and may even have press releases posted.

Look for social media links on the website. These are usually found in the footer or the “About” page. Click these links and ensure they take you to an active social media page.

Tis the Season to Be Careful

You don’t need to be a victim of a fake website. Double-check the URL, age, and ownership of the site. Be on the lookout for poor design or awkward language. Search through reviews.

But the bottom line is, if a site is offering products or prices that seem too good to be true, it’s probably fake.

The Epoch Times copyright © 2024. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.