Fake e-commerce sites are designed to look real. They have product catalogs, working shopping carts, checkout pages with payment processor logos, and even sections dedicated to returns and warranties. Yet behind that facade, there is no warehouse, no products, and no intention of delivering anything. Learning to recognize the warning signs before paying is the only way to protect yourself.

An SSL certificate isn’t enough

Many consumers still believe that the green padlock in the address bar is a sign of security. In reality, an SSL certificate only guarantees that the connection between your browser and the server is encrypted—not that the site is legitimate. DV (Domain Validation) certificates are free and can be obtained by anyone in just a few minutes through services like Let’s Encrypt. A scammer can have the padlock just like Amazon does. What makes a difference is the type of certificate: OV (Organization Validation) and, above all, EV (Extended Validation) certificates require verification of the company’s identity. ShopSicuro automatically detects the type of certificate and includes it in its assessment.

Legal pages: required by law

The Italian Consumer Code imposes a series of disclosure requirements on e-commerce sites: general terms and conditions of sale, privacy policy, cancellation policy, return policy, payment methods, and shipping costs. A website that lacks these pages—or has blatantly copied them from another site using generic names and addresses—is violating the law and likely has no intention of fulfilling any obligations toward its customers.

WHOIS and the domain’s age

The WHOIS database contains information about a domain’s registration: when it was created, who registered it, and with which provider. An e-commerce site that claims to have been in business for years but has a domain registered just last month is lying. Similarly, a domain with the owner’s information hidden behind a privacy service isn’t necessarily a scam, but it’s another factor to consider in the overall context.

Payment Methods as an Indicator

Pay close attention to how the site asks you to pay. The presence of PayPal is a good sign because it offers buyer protection with the possibility of a refund in case of non-delivery. Paying by credit card via Visa or Mastercard allows for a chargeback. In contrast, advance bank transfers, prepaid card top-ups, and cryptocurrencies offer no protection: once the money is transferred, it’s practically unrecoverable.

Reviews: Don’t Trust Them Blindly

Reviews on a website can easily be faked. Instead, search for the website’s name on Google by adding words like “scam,” “reviews,” or “problems.” Check if the site is listed on independent platforms like Trustpilot. And above all, use automated verification tools like ShopSicuro that analyze the site from a technical standpoint, where fake reviews can’t mask the reality.