We know that online sales have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. And even after the lockdown has ended, people still seem to have continued to do so, further increasing their online shopping.
However, it is very important to pay attention to the websites where you make purchases. This is because many scams are carried out using interfaces similar to those of official websites, but with different addresses from the original ones. This can cause you a real headache.
That’s why we’ve brought you eight tips to help you analyze whether a website is trustworthy. This way, you can avoid getting scammed and make sure you shop safely online. Let’s get started!
1. Look for the HTTPS padlock
To start, here’s a very important tip that will help you decipher whether a website is trustworthy. The HTTPS protocol is an extra layer of security that is mandatory for websites that use login features, rely on payments, and more.
Therefore, always check if there is a padlock on the website, because if there is none, it indicates that the website is not secure and is exposed, showing sensitive user data.
2. Use the website I can trust
There is a very interesting website that can help you in this endeavor of finding out whether another website is reliable or not. It is called I can trustis a way of providing interesting data to prove that the electronic address is, in some way, reliable.
The idea was created by the digital risk monitoring company Axur. It allows you to monitor whether the website is actually safe.
3. Be wary of very low prices
Something that should always make you suspicious is the fact that there are prices well below market value, as criminals know that this attracts attention.
Therefore, the lower the price, the more eye-catching the ad becomes. So, pay attention and be as suspicious as possible of prices that are well below normal that you may find out there.
4. Check the age of the domain found
Did you know that domains have a creation age? That’s right. And this age is very important when it comes to whether or not you’re suspicious of a website.
For this, there is a tool called Whois that can help with this, as it provides information about the website and the owner of the domain. It is available on several registration sites, such as Registro.br, and can help identify fraudulent websites.
5. Check the website URL
A very easy way to identify a fraudulent website is by checking its URL. This is because many websites try to imitate the interface of official portals, but their URLs are not the same as those of original sales websites.
A great example is that these fraudulent website URLs may come with “.net” or “.biz”. So be careful not to fall for this scam.
6. Look at the website interface
These fraudulent sites use the tactic of copying an official e-commerce site to give the impression that it is genuine. However, you can pick up on some details in this interface that reveal its credibility.
Among the details, there is the design created, as it can be crude and have typing errors. These are the most common errors on fraudulent websites.
7. Use Google Status
Google can be a great ally in identifying fake websites. The company offers a verification method so you can check the authenticity of the website.
Called Site Status in Safe Browsing, it provides information and details to check whether a website is fraudulent or not. You can access Google Status here.
8. Don’t trust some security seals
Generally, websites that offer shopping as a service have security seals in the footer of the website. However, if you have any doubts about a shopping website, be careful.
This is because criminals fake this type of seal to deceive the user. If you click on the seal, it reveals an authentication with information about the company that made the seal available and much more.