Is this website safe? How to check before you buy
A padlock does not make a shop genuine. These quick checks tell you who you are buying from, and how to pay so you can get your money back if it goes wrong.
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On this page
- The quick checks
- 1. Who runs the website?
- 2. Check Companies House for UK firms
- 3. How long has the website existed?
- 4. Find reviews off the site
- 5. How you pay decides whether you can get money back
- 6. Too-good-to-be-true prices
- A padlock does not mean safe
- If you've already paid
- How to report a scam website
Quick answer: before you pay a shop you don't know, check who runs it, how long the website has existed, and what other people say about it on sites it doesn't control. Pay by card rather than bank transfer. If the price looks far too low, walk away.
The quick checks
Any one of these failing is a reason to stop.
- Who runs it? Look for a company name, a street address (not only a PO box) and a way to contact them.
- Is the company real? If it says it is a UK company, look it up on the Companies House register.
- How old is the website? A site set up a few weeks ago selling big-brand goods at big discounts is a warning sign.
- What do other people say? Read reviews on other websites, not the ones on the shop's own pages.
- How can you pay? Card payment gives you ways to get your money back. A shop that pushes bank transfer does not.
- Is the price believable? Very low prices are the most common bait.
Not sure about a link? Paste it into our Scam Check and choose Website or link. It reads the address without visiting the site.
1. Who runs the website?
Citizens Advice says a company's address should have a street name, not just a post office box. Which? adds that genuine businesses list how to get in touch, and a site with no "Contact us" page could well be fraudulent.
Look at the address in your browser too. Which? warns that scammers often use addresses that look very close to a real brand's, changing one letter, adding extra words or using an unusual ending. The NCSC gives the example of "www.tescos-sales.com" set up to look like "www.tesco.com".
2. Check Companies House for UK firms
Searching the Companies House register is free on GOV.UK. It shows a company's registered address, the date it was incorporated, its current and past officers, and any previous names.
What to look for:
- Does the company exist? No record for a firm that claims to be UK-registered is a red flag.
- Do the details match? Which? advises checking that the name and address on the website match the official record.
- How old is it? A company formed last month has no track record.
Overseas sellers won't be on the UK register. That doesn't make them fake, but it does mean the other checks carry more weight.
3. How long has the website existed?
Which? suggests using a domain checker such as who.is to see when a website was created, and says a newly created website should raise alarm bells.
Type the site's name (for example, example.co.uk) into the checker and look for the creation or registered on date. A shop claiming years of trading on a domain registered in the last few weeks does not add up.
4. Find reviews off the site
Citizens Advice advises looking for reviews on different websites and not relying on the reviews a company puts on its own site. The NCSC says to use consumer websites, or reviews from people or organisations you trust.
When you read them, Which? suggests watching for reviews that sound very similar, reviewers with brand-new accounts, and a suspiciously small number of reviews overall.
5. How you pay decides whether you can get money back
| How you pay | What protects you |
|---|---|
| Credit card | Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, for items costing more than £100 and no more than £30,000 |
| Debit card | Chargeback, through your card provider |
| Bank transfer | Your bank's reimbursement rules if you were tricked, but no purchase protection like the two above |
Credit card (Section 75). If the goods don't arrive, are faulty or were misdescribed, you can claim from your card provider. Citizens Advice says it covers purchases where you paid more than £100 and no more than £30,000. The Financial Ombudsman adds that it is the cash price of the item that counts, so paying only part of it on a credit card can still qualify. The NCSC advises using a credit card for online payments if you have one.
Debit card (chargeback). Chargeback is a process run under the card scheme rules (Visa, Mastercard and others) rather than a legal right. The Financial Ombudsman says you usually have around 120 days to raise one, and the timing can vary.
Bank transfer. Which? advises against paying suspicious sites this way. If you were tricked into a UK bank transfer made on or after 7 October 2024, the Payment Systems Regulator's rules mean your bank should reimburse you up to £85,000 unless you were complicit or grossly negligent, and you must report it within 13 months. Card payments are not covered by those rules because they have their own protections.
A shop that offers a discount for paying by bank transfer, or says card payments are "temporarily unavailable", is a strong warning sign.
6. Too-good-to-be-true prices
Which? says scam websites use low prices to lure bargain hunters and then sell fake, counterfeit or non-existent items. If a popular item costs half what every other shop charges, ask yourself why before you pay.
A padlock does not mean safe
The padlock (or "https") in your address bar means your connection to the site is encrypted. It says nothing about who runs the site. Citizens Advice says a padlock doesn't guarantee you are buying from a real company, and Which? says it shouldn't be the only thing you check. Treat it as the minimum, never as a green light.
If you've already paid
- Contact your bank or card provider straight away. Use the number on the back of your card, or dial 159. Tell them what happened and ask about a Section 75 claim, a chargeback, or reimbursement for a bank transfer.
- Report it. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report to Report Fraud (which replaced Action Fraud) at reportfraud.police.uk (opens in a new tab) or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.
- Change any password you typed into the site, starting with your email. Our guide on what to do if you clicked a scam link covers each situation step by step.
- Watch your statements for payments you don't recognise.
How to report a scam website
The NCSC runs a free form for reporting suspicious websites. You give the web address, where you came across it (for example an email, text, social media or an online advert) and, if you like, a short description. The NCSC says not to click the suspicious link: copy and paste it, or write it down.
If the website reached you in a message, you can also forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam texts to 7726. Our guides on spotting scam texts and scam emails show the signs to look for.
Sources
- How to spot a fake, fraudulent or scam website — Which? (opens in a new tab)
- Check if something might be a scam — Citizens Advice (opens in a new tab)
- Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal — Citizens Advice (opens in a new tab)
- Problems with goods and services bought using a debit card or credit (Section 75 and chargeback) — Financial Ombudsman Service (opens in a new tab)
- APP fraud reimbursement protections — Payment Systems Regulator (opens in a new tab)
- Shopping and paying safely online — National Cyber Security Centre (opens in a new tab)
- Report a suspicious website — National Cyber Security Centre (opens in a new tab)
- Get information about a company — GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Report Fraud: what does this new era of fraud reporting mean? — Which? (opens in a new tab)
- Stop, hang up, call 159 — Stop Scams UK (opens in a new tab)
Last checked: 22 September 2026