How It Works
ShopSicuro performs an automated three-level analysis for each verified website. The final score is the result of 12 independent technical checks.
Each check has a specific weight calibrated based on its relevance in detecting online fraud. The system is designed to analyze e-commerce sites, but also includes dedicated tools for verifying tourism sites , verifying insurance , analyzing terms and conditions of sale , verifying telephone numbers, QR codes, and protecting against phishing emails via a browser extension.
If your site received a low score and you believe the evaluation is incorrect, you can submit a report to us and request a new analysis. We will review the site and provide you with helpful guidance on the corrective actions to take.
The first level analyzes the site's technical infrastructure. It verifies the domain's age via WHOIS (scam sites have a very short lifespan), the validity and type of the SSL certificate, the DNS configuration (MX records, SPF, DMARC for email), and the server's geolocation. A domain registered just a few days ago with a free certificate and a server in a high-risk country will accumulate many negative points.
The second level downloads the site's homepage and analyzes its content. It searches for the VAT number and mandatory legal pages (privacy policy, terms and conditions, contact page), verifies the payment methods offered (PayPal and cards are safe; only bank transfers or cryptocurrencies are suspect), analyzes the text quality (placeholder text, lorem ipsum, poor content), and detects anomalous pricing patterns (systematic discounts exceeding 70% are typical of fake shops).
The third level queries external security databases. Google Safe Browsing checks whether the site has been reported as phishing or malware. VirusTotal aggregates results from over 90 antivirus and security engines. IPQualityScore (IPQS) analyzes domain reputation with a proprietary algorithm that detects phishing, malware, spam, and suspicious domains in real time, assigning a Risk Score from 0 to 100. The result is cross-referenced with our internal database of blacklists (sites confirmed as scams) and whitelists (verified sites), as well as reports received from users.
The Safe Travels section uses the same analysis engine as the websites, but guides the user through typical tourism scenarios: vacation rentals, hotels, B&Bs, car rentals, travel packages, and tickets. In addition to technical checks, the system leverages community reports and blacklists to help consumers decide before paying deposits, bank transfers, or unverifiable services.
The three levels of automated analysis produce a score, but the decision to add a site to the public blacklist is never automatic. Our consultants manually verify reports received from users and sites with critical scores, examining the evidence collected (screenshots, receipts, communications with the seller) before confirming the blacklisting. Only after this human validation is the domain published on the public blacklist and automatically receives a red light for all subsequent checks. Learn more in the article How the ShopSicuro blacklist works .
The final score, ranging from 0 to 100, is represented by a three-color traffic light system:
Note: Being blacklisted, receiving a positive Google Safe Browsing alert, having more than 5 VirusTotal flags, or having phishing/malware detected by IPQS automatically forces the red light, regardless of other checks.
Each check carries a different weight in the final score. The weights are calibrated based on the importance of each signal in detecting fraud. The weights are transparent and can be viewed on the "How It Works" page.
Each check yields a score ranging from -10 to +10 and has a weight that determines how much it affects the final result. The weights are calibrated based on the statistical significance of each indicator in detecting fraud.
Check if the domain is present in our database of confirmed scam sites. Override: If present, the traffic light is automatically red.
Check the Google Safe Browsing database for phishing, malware, and social engineering. Override: If the result is positive, force a red light.
Checks the domain's reputation against over 90 antivirus and security engines. Override: >5 flags force the red light.
Check the domain registration age. Domains under 12 months old receive increasing penalties. Over 2 years: maximum bonus.
Check which payment methods are offered. PayPal and credit/debit cards = safe. Bank transfer, PostePay top-up, or cryptocurrencies only = risky.
Count the reports received from users. Three or more unarchived reports significantly lower the score.
Analyze domain reputation using IPQualityScore: detects phishing, malware, spam, parked domains, and suspicious activity. Risk Score 0-100. Override: Confirmed phishing or malware forces a red light.
Search by VAT number, company name, physical address, and required legal pages (privacy policy, Terms and Conditions, contact information, returns policy).
Check the presence, validity, and type of SSL certificate. EV and OV certificates provide bonuses; the absence of SSL is critical.
Analyze content quality: amount of text, text/HTML ratio, presence of lorem ipsum, meta tags, favicons.
Detects unusual pricing patterns: average discounts exceeding 70%, aggressive sales language, and systematic strikethrough prices.
Check your DNS configuration: MX records for email, SPF for email authentication, and DMARC for anti-spoofing protection.
Geolocate the server and verify its jurisdiction. Servers in high-fraud countries are penalized.
The final score is a weighted average normalized to 0-100. Each check contributes proportionally to its weight. The weights are periodically updated based on collected data.
ShopSicuro provides an automated assessment based exclusively on technical data and algorithmic parameters. The score is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a certification of reliability or a guarantee of the commercial operation of the analyzed site.
The system can generate false positives ( learn more in this article ), legitimate sites with low scores because they're new or have incomplete technical configuration, and false negatives, i.e., fraudulent sites that have taken care of the technical aspects. For this reason, we always recommend supporting the automatic verification with a manual evaluation of the seller.
The weights and algorithms are constantly updated to improve the system's accuracy.
If you believe the assessment is inaccurate, you can request a manual review of your site by our team.
Request Manual Review →Learn More
How ShopSicuro verifies insurance websites by comparing them with the official IVASS lists: regulated companies, RUI-registered intermediaries, and non-compliant websites.
Find out how it works →How ShopSicuro analyzes an e-commerce site's terms of sale and identifies unfair terms under the Consumer Code.
Find out how it works →How ShopSicuro cross-references technical analysis and community reports to identify numbers associated with spam, telephone fraud, and phishing.
Verify a number →It reads the contents of the QR Code and, if it contains a web address, analyzes the domain before the user opens suspicious pages or enters data.
Scan a QR code →Bring ShopSicuro to your browser: check websites and emails opened in webmail, with local content analysis and synthetic risk signals.
Download the extension →
