How to detect a fraudulent website

Below is a quick guide on how to detect a fraudulent website.

The beauty of Scambook.com is that we are a resource of information for the average consumer. Before making that purchase from an ‘iffy’ website, search our site and see if others have experienced being scammed or not.

HOW TO DETECT A FRAUDULENT WEBSITE

1. WHOIS Information

Don’t know what WHOIS is? Well, you will now. It might save you a lot of heartache in the future and is probably one of the most overlooked tools available.
CLICK HERE and type in the domain name. The results you get will probably show you who owns the website, the technical and administrative contacts, and where the website is located. This is a great way to see if the website is in China and if the contact information seems legit or not. If you search a site and the contact info is something like [email protected] then you can assume this website is not legitimate.

2. Unrealistic Prices
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. When it comes to online shopping, if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Sorry, but it’s the truth!

3. Language
Believe it or not, criminals are not smart. Many times you’ll find an amazing deal on a website and you’ll see that the language is a little off. For instance, instead of ” Please make a selection ” the language might be ” Please make a selections “. Sometimes these simple grammatical errors can be a dead giveaway.

4. Contact Information
Try to find the contact information on the website. If it’s hard to find, nonexistent, or [email protected] – then you should probably refrain from buying those $5 pair of Gucci sunglasses.

5. Images and Logo
This, to me, has always been a quick way to further evaluate whether the website is legit or not. Does the website have a corporate looking logo? Are the images hi-res and good quality images? Or, does this site seem somewhat disheveled with no real branding?

5. Website Name or URL
Ahhh yes. Probably the biggest ‘tell’. You are probably safer purchasing a product on Amazon or Gap.com than you are purchasing it on ‘designerstuffcheapy4you.com’