Fake websites power most online scams: counterfeit stores with impossible prices, cloned login pages for banks, and download pages seeded with malware. They look better than ever — AI makes professional design free — so the checks that still work are structural, not cosmetic.
The 7 checks
1. Read the domain, word by word. amazon-deals-outlet.shop is not amazon.com. The real brand is always the last thing before the .com — everything left of it can be faked.
2. Look up the domain's age. Search 'whois' plus the domain. A 'trusted store since 2009' registered three weeks ago is lying about at least one of those things.
3. Check the prices. 70% off everything, always, is not a business model. Counterfeit stores compete on impossible prices because they never ship anything.
4. Find the contact page. No physical address, no phone, a Gmail contact address, or a contact form only — legitimate retailers are reachable.
5. Search the site's name + 'scam' or 'reviews'. Victims post fast. So do complaint databases.
6. Check the payment methods. Zelle, wire transfer, crypto, or gift cards at checkout are a giant red flag — real stores take cards, because cards can be disputed.
7. Run the domain through Scambook's lookup. We track domains reported for phishing and malware distribution, updated continuously from live threat feeds.
If you already bought from a fake store
Dispute the charge with your card issuer right away — that's exactly what chargebacks are for. Change your password anywhere you reused the one from that site, and watch your statements for follow-up charges. Then report the site at reportfraud.ftc.gov so the domain gets flagged for the next person.
