Every day, hundreds of new domains are registered with a single purpose: to set up a fake online store, collect payments, and disappear.

“how to tell if a website is trustworthy”
“how to check if a website is safe to shop on”
“how to spot a scam shopping site”
“is this online store trustworthy or fake?”
“check a website before buying”

In 2026, fake online stores are sophisticated, featuring professional graphics, photos stolen from real catalogs, and reviews generated by artificial intelligence. The appearance of the site alone is no longer enough to determine whether an e-commerce site is trustworthy or not. What a scam site looks like The first thing to look at is the age of the domain.

Scam sites have a very short lifespan: they’re created, used for a few weeks, and then abandoned. A domain registered less than three months ago that’s already selling hundreds of products at rock-bottom prices is a serious red flag. You can check a domain’s age using our free tool at shopsicuro.it.

The SSL certificate deserves your attention.

The green padlock in the address bar only indicates that the connection is encrypted—not that the seller is trustworthy. Free SSL certificates are available to anyone in just a few minutes. A scam site with a padlock is the norm, not the exception. Missing or false legal information: Italian law requires every online seller to publish their VAT number, company name, registered office, and contact information.

The absence of this information is the most reliable sign of a fraudulent site. When the information is present, it’s worth verifying it: you can check the VAT number in just a few seconds on the Italian Revenue Agency’s website.

If it turns out to be nonexistent or registered to a business that has nothing to do with e-commerce, the picture is clear. Suspicious payment methods A legitimate e-commerce site accepts credit cards and PayPal—payment methods that allow consumers to request a refund (chargeback) in the event of non-delivery.

Scam sites try to steer you toward untraceable payment methods: advance bank transfers, top-ups on PostePay prepaid cards, or payments in cryptocurrency. Once you’ve transferred money using these methods, recovering it is practically impossible. Prices Too Good to Be True Discounts of 70–80% on brand-name products are the hallmark of fake shops.

No legitimate seller can consistently sell below cost. If you find a pair of sneakers priced at 250 euro for 49.90 euro, the question isn’t whether it’s a bargain, but where your money will end up.Low-Quality Content: Texts with grammatical errors, product descriptions copied from other sites, generic “About Us” pages with vague phrases, and vague or missing terms of sale.

These are all indicators of a site thrown together in a hurry with no real intention of selling. Non-existent contact information: Try looking for a phone number on the site. Fake shops rarely have one. When there’s an email address, it’s often a generic Gmail or Yahoo address, not one on the site’s own domain.

The absence of real contact information means that, if problems arise, you’ll have no one to turn to. Server Geolocation An e-commerce site that claims to be Italian but has its server hosted in countries with weak consumer protection laws is a factor to consider. This isn’t a definitive red flag—many legitimate sites use foreign servers for technical reasons—but when combined with other factors, it becomes significant.

How to Protect Yourself

ShopSicuro automatically analyzes all these elements through 12 checks across three levels, also querying international security databases such as Google Safe Browsing and VirusTotal. Before entering your card information on a site you’re unfamiliar with, enter the address at shopsicuro.it: in just a few seconds, you’ll see a clear traffic light indicator—green, yellow, or red—with details on each check. The service is free and requires no registration. If you’ve already made a purchase on a site you suspect is fraudulent, contact your bank immediately to request a chargeback and file a report with the Postal Police.

Our support team is available at 06 451 0914 or via the form at shopsicuro.it/assistenza.