How to Tell If a Website Is Safe Before You Buy

Buying products online has never been easier. Today, you can get almost anything, from a needle to a plane - right from the device in your hand, and even shop from other countries.

However, if you’re not careful, there’s always a risk of falling for fraud. Millions of people worldwide become victims of online scams every year. If you are a frequent online shopper who instantly opens a website after seeing an attractive product, you need to be extra cautious. Fake or harmful websites can steal your personal information and cause financial loss.

So, the next time you browse or shop online, keep the following points in mind for a safe experience.

Tip 1: Check for Padlock in Address Bar

When you are browsing any not-so-known e-commerce website, you need to take a look at the address bar. Sometimes the address bar is a copy of a popular website with minor changes. If something looks different from the real website, avoid using it.

Tip 2: Examine Website Design

It is important to carefully examine the layout of the website to check if it is functioning properly and is not a copy of another website. Also, check for a trust seal from a certificate authority (CA), which confirms the website is authentic. Besides that, if you see a suspicious URL or typos in the web address, fake websites often have misspellings, swapped letters, or extra characters.

Tip 3: Read Customer Reviews

Checking the reviews is always an easy way to get an idea about a website. As a result, you should always check the reviews on the website for the product you are buying. If there are no reviews on the site, check social media or forums like Reddit or Quora for genuine user feedback. And make sure not to buy anything until you are sure the website is real.

Tip 4: Inspect “About Us” Page

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If you go to the “About Us” page on the genuine website, then it will show who they are and what they do. Some of the websites also provide the company's background details on this page, which helps in judging if the website is fake or not. However, don’t rely on this alone to decide if a website is legitimate.

Tip 5: Look for Social Media Presence

Checking the social media presence of a website or business is one of the best ways to determine its authenticity. As a result, below are the points you can check to ensure that the website you are visiting is safe: 

• Fake or unsafe websites often have fake reviews.
• There is no information available about the customer care or who manages the account.
• Unsafe websites have links to phishing scams and malware
• There is little follower engagement on the platform.

You can look for the website or business presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and see if they seem fishy.

Tip 6: Use Website Security Tools

There are many free website security checker tools online that can provide vital information about a website to confirm whether it is safe and genuine. You can try Google Safe Browsing to quickly check a website. It thoroughly scans a website for malicious content and warns you if it is not safe to use.

Final Words

Well, these are some primary and helpful points that experts suggest considering to confirm if a website is safe to use. You can also look for other signs, such as payment options and device firewall warnings, to avoid unsafe websites. Besides that, trust your instincts - if something feels wrong, avoid the site. So, use all these points next time before you go to any website.