Is it safe to buy from a store I've never heard of?

Only if you can find independent reviews on trusted sites like Trustpilot. If the only reviews are on the store's own website, they are likely fake.

What happens if I buy from a fake store?

Best case: You get a low-quality counterfeit or nothing at all. Worst case: Your credit card details are sold on the dark web and used for fraudulent purchases.

Can I get my money back from a fake store?

If you paid by credit card, you can file a 'Chargeback' with your bank. This is why you should never use debit cards or bank transfers for unknown online shops.

E-commerce Safety

Verify online stores before you buy.

Fake online stores are created every day to steal credit card data and personal information. They often use stolen imagery from legitimate brands and advertise '90% Off Clearance' deals on social media to lure victims into making a purchase that will never arrive.

Security Insight

Scammers frequently register 'Drop-shipping' domains that expire in exactly one year. If a website offering high-end electronics or luxury fashion was created less than 30 days ago, it is statistically likely to be a fraudulent storefront.

Identifies 'Too Good To Be True' deals

Spots 'Lookalike' brand domains

Protects against Credit Card theft

Analyze a Store URL Shopping Safety Guide

How to spot a Fake Online Store

A professional-looking homepage is easy to fake. Watch out for these specific 'Retail' red flags before entering your billing address and credit card number.

The '90% Off' Clearance lure

A site offering premium products (like Apple, Nike, or North Face) at absurdly low prices. If a $200 jacket is being sold for $19, it's a scam.

Missing 'Contact Us' details

The website provides no physical address, no customer service phone number, and only a generic contact form or a @gmail.com support address.

Grammar & Spelling errors

Professional stores have strict QA. Look for typos in the menu, broken image links, or 'Lorem Ipsum' placeholder text in the Privacy Policy.

Non-Secure Payment methods

The store only accepts 'Cash on Delivery', direct bank transfers, or cryptocurrency. Legitimate retailers always offer standard credit card or PayPal protection.

What IsThisSpam checks before you trust a sender

Quick verdicts are useful, but the real value is understanding why something looks safe, uncertain, or risky.

Recently Registered Domain

Scammers cycle through domains quickly. Check the 'Whois' data—if the site is only a few weeks old, proceed with extreme caution.

Social Media Ad redirects

If you clicked an ad on Facebook or Instagram and the URL is a string of random letters (e.g., 'shop-sale-832.xyz'), close the tab immediately.

Suspicious 'Trust' Badges

Fake stores often use static images of 'McAfee Secure' or 'Norton Verified' logos that aren't clickable and don't lead to a real verification certificate.

Copied 'About Us' content

Scammers copy-paste the same 'Our Mission' text across hundreds of fake sites. Copy a sentence and search for it—if it appears on 50 other sites, it's a template.

Related guides

Use the checker for the fast answer, then read the deeper guidance for recurring scam patterns.

Scam Website Checker

Deep dive into the technical safety of any URL.

Read the guide

Counterfeit Product Checker

Learn how to spot fake goods and fraudulent retailers.

Read the guide

FAQ

These are the questions people usually ask right before they click, reply, or pay.

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Analyze a Store URL Shopping Safety Guide