10 Red Flags That a Website Is a Scam (With Examples)

1. The domain name looks strange

Scam domains often look like cheap imitations of real brands or random strings of words and numbers. Watch out for:

• Misspellings: adidas-shop.com.co instead of adidas.com.
• Weird endings: brand names glued to .xyz, .top, .shop with no history.
• Four or more words + lots of dashes and digits.

2. Prices are “too good to be true”

If a site sells branded shoes, electronics or cosmetics for 70–80% below normal prices, something is off. Scammers use extreme discounts to push you into a quick, emotional purchase.

3. No real company information

Legit sites show who they are. Scam sites hide behind vague lines like “Best Shop Ltd.” with no real address.

• No company name, registration number or tax ID (where it should exist).
• No physical address, or one that doesn’t exist on the map.
• Only a generic contact form and free email (e.g. Gmail) instead of a domain email.

4. Suspicious payment methods

Payment options tell a big part of the story:

• Only bank transfer, crypto or strange “offline” methods.
• Card payments that redirect to unrelated third-party sites.
• No clear mention of refunds, returns or chargebacks.

5. No real reviews outside the site

Scam websites may show dozens of 5-star “reviews” on their own pages, but nothing on independent platforms.

• Search: “sitename + reviews” and “sitename + scam”.
• Be sceptical if all reviews are short, generic and posted on the same day.

6. Low-quality design and broken pages

Not every ugly site is a scam, but many scams are thrown together quickly.

• Broken mobile layout, overlapping text, missing images.
• Multiple languages mixed randomly.
• Empty blog pages or “lorem ipsum” content.

7. Copy-pasted policies

Check the “Privacy Policy”, “Terms”, “Shipping” and “Returns” pages.

• They mention other company names.
• They talk about countries that make no sense for the store.
• They are clearly generic templates with no details.

8. Aggressive countdowns and pressure tactics

“Only 3 items left”, “Flash sale ends in 01:23”, “50 people are viewing this right now” – scammers use fake urgency to stop you from thinking too much.

9. Unsecure or inconsistent checkout

Always check the URL on the checkout page:

• Does it still match the store’s domain?
• Does it show HTTPS (padlock) and a normal-looking address?
• Or did it jump to a random, unrelated domain?

10. Your gut feeling is bad

If something feels off – the language, the design, the offer – listen to that feeling. It’s often based on patterns you’ve seen before, even if you can’t explain them logically.

What to do if you see several red flags

One red flag alone doesn’t prove a scam. But if you see three, five or more of the signs above, it’s safer to:

• Leave the site and look for a better-known alternative.
• Search for the product on marketplaces or official brand sites.
• Avoid sending documents, ID photos or sensitive data.