Safety Tips 5 min read

Is This Website Legit? 5 Quick Checks

Found a website offering amazing deals? Got linked somewhere you don't recognize? Before you enter any personal information or payment details, here are 5 quick checks to verify if a website is legitimate.

5 Quick Website Legitimacy Checks

  • 1. Check the URL carefully - look for typos like "arnazon.com" (r+n = m)
  • 2. HTTPS isn't enough - scammers get free SSL certificates too
  • 3. Check domain age - most scam sites are less than 30 days old
  • 4. Verify contact info - real businesses have physical addresses and phone numbers
  • 5. Search for reviews carefully - look for "[website] scam" on Reddit and Trustpilot
1

Check the URL Carefully

Scammers create fake websites with URLs that look almost identical to real ones. Look very carefully at the domain name.

Common tricks:

  • arnazon.com instead of amazon.com (r+n looks like m)
  • paypa1.com instead of paypal.com (1 instead of l)
  • commbank-login.com instead of commbank.com.au
  • secure-netflix.com instead of netflix.com

TrustNope automatically detects lookalike domains and flags them for you.

2

Look for HTTPS (But Don't Trust It Alone)

The padlock icon and "https://" mean the connection is encrypted - but it doesn't mean the site is legitimate. Scammers get free SSL certificates too.

Important: HTTPS just means your data is encrypted in transit. A scam site with HTTPS will still steal your data - they'll just receive it securely.

3

Check How Old the Domain Is

Most scam websites are brand new. If a site claims to be an established business but was registered last week, that's a major red flag.

What to look for:

  • Less than 30 days old - Very suspicious for any business
  • Less than 1 year old - Be cautious, verify other signals
  • Several years old - More likely to be legitimate

TrustNope shows you exactly when a domain was registered and flags brand new domains.

4

Look for Contact Information

Legitimate businesses have real contact details. Look for:

  • Physical address - Can you find it on Google Maps?
  • Phone number - Does it work? Is it a real business line?
  • Email - Is it @theircompany.com or a generic Gmail?
  • ABN/Company number - Can you verify it on official registries?

Red flags: No contact page, only a contact form, fake addresses, or unregistered business numbers.

5

Search for Reviews (Carefully)

Search for "[website name] scam" or "[website name] reviews" - but be skeptical of what you find.

Be wary of:

  • • Only positive reviews with generic comments
  • • Reviews all posted around the same time
  • • Reviews on unknown "review sites" (could be fake)
  • • No reviews at all for a site claiming to be established

Check Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and Reddit for independent opinions. Multiple sources are better than one.

Quick Safety Checklist

If you can't check all these boxes, think twice before proceeding.

What TrustNope Checks For You

Instead of doing all these checks manually, TrustNope runs multiple automated checks in seconds:

Email Authentication

SPF, DKIM, DMARC - can this domain be spoofed?

Domain Age

When was this domain registered?

Lookalike Detection

Is this a typosquatting domain?

SSL Certificate

Is it valid? What grade?

Security Headers

HSTS, CSP, and other protections

Blocklist Check

Is it on known scam databases?

DNSSEC

Is the domain properly secured?

Redirect Chain

Does it redirect through suspicious domains?

All of this happens in seconds, and we give you a simple verdict: Trust, Caution, or Nope.

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