Inspect registration, infrastructure, visible business claims, policies and available public evidence. Keep observed risk, confidence and coverage separate.
Enter the public website address or domain you want to inspect. Use the storefront address rather than a private checkout, account or order link.
Read the result
Review available domain registration, DNS, TLS, page identity and policy observations. Read the reasons behind each signal alongside risk, confidence and evidence coverage.
Check the limits
HTTPS, an old domain or a low observed risk result cannot guarantee that a seller will deliver. Missing information is a gap to investigate, not proof that a website is safe or fraudulent.
Questions about this tool
How can I check if an online store is legitimate?
Start with the website check, then independently compare the business identity, contact details, return policy and payment recipient. Look for consistent evidence across sources and choose payment methods with protections you can confirm.
How should I interpret missing evidence?
Missing evidence means the assessment has less support or coverage. It does not establish safety or wrongdoing. Review the sources and dates, and independently verify the gaps that matter to your decision.
Use the public storefront address, not a checkout, account or order link. The shop is what gets read; a private checkout hides the wider context.
02
Read the result
Read each signal with the observation behind it, alongside risk, confidence and coverage. Look at the evidence rather than trusting a number on its own.
03
Check the limits
Fewer warnings is not a guarantee. What could not be seen stays an evidence gap, rather than being treated as proof that a shop is safe.
What this check looks at
We read available public observations about a storefront and its domain.
Domain registration
Registration date and registrar, plus registrant details where the record is public.
DNS
Nameservers and available hosting infrastructure observations.
TLS
Certificate issuer and validity window for the checked hostname.
Page identity
Title, description and the business claims the page makes.
Policies
Whether return, refund, shipping and privacy pages were found, and what the available text says.
The methodology names these five evidence areas. The manual checks below are separate steps for you, not promises about the scanner.
How to understand the result
Read the rows together, not one at a time. These are contextual comparisons, not a description of the scanner’s scoring algorithm.
Examples of weaker and stronger public evidence to compare in context. No single row establishes safety or fraud.
Signal
Weaker
Stronger
Domain registration date
Registered days ago
Registered years ago
Business identity on page
No legal name anywhere
Legal name and address
Policies
Absent, or one vague line
Specific and consistent
Contact
Web form only
Phone and a postal address
A single weaker row means little. A new domain on its own is normal. Several gaps together are a reason to seek more evidence, rather than a verdict.
Registrant privacy is not a signal either way. Privacy services and redacted records are common among legitimate sites. Public registrant details can help corroborate a business claim, but disclosure or privacy alone proves neither safety nor fraud.
What a website scam checker cannot tell you
HTTPS is not safety.
The padlock means the connection is encrypted. A certificate does not establish who runs a shop or whether it will deliver.
An old domain is not honesty.
Domains can change hands or be repurposed. Age is context, not a character reference.
A missing signal is not fraud.
Small, honest shops may have limited public information. Treat a missing observation as an evidence gap, not a finding of fraud.
It cannot tell you the parcel will arrive.
Delivery depends on stock, the courier and the seller following through.
It cannot tell you whether a policy will be honoured.
A return policy records what a seller says it will do. Read it alongside your payment provider’s buyer-protection and dispute terms; those protections vary.
It reads a limited snapshot.
A result describes the site at the moment the check ran. Websites, ownership and policies can change.
Warning signs a scan can miss
A scan reads the site. These checks help you look more closely at the seller.
01
Search the domain plus ‘scam’, outside the site.
Search the exact domain, not just the brand. Read dated forum threads and complaints in context; an allegation or a star rating is not proof by itself.
02
Read the three-star reviews.
Look for detail across ratings, including mixed reviews. Different product descriptions may indicate combined or mismatched reviews, but they do not prove manipulation.
Check where returns are accepted and whether your parcel service can deliver there. A PO box can be legitimate; unclear return instructions are a reason to ask before buying.
04
Message support before you buy.
Ask something specific about the item, delivery or returns. A clear answer gives you more to evaluate than a generic reply.
Check whether it matches the seller or an explained payment processor. An unexpected personal or business name is a reason to ask questions, not proof of fraud. Dispute routes depend on your payment provider.
A current-season branded item priced far below comparable offers deserves a closer look. Check the model, condition and seller; price alone cannot establish that an item is counterfeit.
For website owners
If you run a shop, make your evidence easy to find: legal name, registration details, a usable address, your domain and clear policy pages.
Identity evidence is not an endorsement of conduct. It cannot promise delivery or show that every policy will be honoured.
Frequently asked questions
Is a site with HTTPS safe?
No. HTTPS encrypts the connection between you and the site. It does not establish who owns the shop or whether it ships orders.
Can you check a brand-new site?
Yes. A new domain may have little history, so read the available observations and coverage gaps alongside the manual checks above.
Does a good result mean I won’t get scammed?
No. Fewer visible warning signals at the time of a check do not guarantee a safe purchase. The manual checks above cover questions that a scan cannot settle.
How fresh is a result?
It describes the site when the check ran. Run a new check if the result is weeks old, ownership may have changed, or the site now looks different.
Do I need an account?
Analyses are tied to an account. The current trial lasts seven days, requires no card and allows up to 1,000 analysis requests per day. See pricing and trial conditions for the current allowance.
Can I check a link from a text?
Use the public website URL, avoiding private checkout, account or order links. For the message’s sender, urgency and wording, use the scam text checker.
