Online Shopping How do you tell if a site is real or bogus

Tao81

Hi, I've started to shop online more frequently and up to now have only used really well known company websites I know I can 100% trust, i.e visited their bricks and mortar site and therefore, know they are a real company doing honest business or previously paid over the telephone, been satisfied with goods and delivery, then graduated on to signing up and paying them online.

Burning question for me is....How, with more an more companies springing up, does one tell if a website is a credible shopping site or a potential scam? Tips please, if you have the time. Many Thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

The website should say clearly, sometimes in the Contact Us or Terms and Conditions page, who the seller actually is - usually a Ltd Company and the company registration number. You can check that with Companies House Webcheck and see how long the company's been registered and if they are up to date with their annual accounts filing.

Of course that doesn't guarantee the website actually is operated by that company ... then check with Nominet (for a uk domain) or the relevant domain registrar who owns the website (sometimes called a WHOIS check).

Browntoa

Good signs are full telephone number and contact address on the site , no ridiculous cheap prices and real payment options

Red flags , no contact details only an online form , payment by bank transfers , poor English grammar or unfurnished web pages . Some of the scammier sites resurface many times , they sometimes leave names of previous site on the bottom or in the terms

Marcon

Never pay by bank transfer - little or no protection if things go wrong. Use Paypal or credit/debit card (plenty of info on this site about why!).

dlusman

Post #3 from Browntoa should be your starting point - In addition

Do a google search on the address . If a different company shows up or you get lots of hits for lots of different companies then this should start alarm bells .
Do a Streetview search - if you find a semi-detcahed house at the end of a cul-de-sac then again start worrying

This thread has some things to look out for
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5681869

Cannot remember exactly what thread, but a few months ago we found a site where they had lifted photos of all their directors from a different , legitimate ,company. - So if they have any pictures,do a google image search on them and see what comes up

I would definately first send them a message or phone them and see what response you get

Browntoa

I remember that thread , I posted the reply , cannot find it now so maybe was spammed

dlusman

Browntoa wrote: »

I remember that thread , I posted the reply , cannot find it now so maybe was spammed

found it - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5675515

LadyDee

Search, using the "search" function on the Praise Warnings & Vents forum and the Consumer Rights forum. A very good starting point!

Sorry - Praise, Vents & Warnings!

Oh, and take no notice of TrustPilot "reviews", they are constantly edited, deleted or otherwise manipulated, have no value whatsoever and many are totally fake.

DCFC79

Even asking a question and if the response is in poor English it could be an indication of 1 site to avoid.

Monika333

I'm also one of those who buy online only on the websites that I can totaly trust. So, thanks for these useful tips, guys!