Quiz: can you recognize the signs of a fake website?

Short answer: signs of a fake site include an address slightly different from the official one, prices far below the market, payment demanded by insecure methods, missing company details and contact channels, text errors and pressure to decide quickly. This quiz helps you notice those signs. No sign alone is proof, but several together call for caution.

How to use the quiz

For each situation, ask: "would this make me suspicious?" Mark how many you would notice.

Situations to assess

1. The site's address. Does the address have swapped letters, extra hyphens or unusual endings compared with the official one? Fake sites often imitate well-known names.
2. How you got there. Was it through a link received in a message, email or ad, rather than typing the address or using a bookmark?
3. Price. Is the offer far below the normal price, with "last units" and a countdown?
4. Payment methods. Does it accept only bank transfer, instant transfer to an individual or gift cards, with no secure options?
5. Company details. Are the legal name, registration number, physical address, return policy and privacy policy missing?
6. Contact channels. Is there only a form or a messaging app, with no working phone or institutional email?
7. Text and appearance. Are there spelling errors, odd translations, or low-quality or copied images?
8. Browser padlock. A padlock indicates an encrypted connection, but does not prove the site is legitimate, since fake sites use it too.
9. Reviews. Are they all very positive, generic and recent?
10. Requests for unnecessary data. Does it ask for passwords, verification codes or bank details beyond payment?
11. Pressure. Messages such as "your account will be blocked" or "offer ends now".

How to interpret

• 0 to 2 signs: normal caution; confirm anyway.
• 3 to 5: be suspicious and research the company in independent sources.
• 6 or more: do not buy or enter data.

What to do

1. Type the official address or use a known channel.
2. Search the site's name together with words such as "complaints".
3. Use payment methods with protection, such as a card that allows chargebacks.
4. Turn on two-step verification on important accounts.
5. If you fell for a scam, contact your bank quickly, keep evidence and report it through official channels.

Counterpoints

Scammers improve, and signs change. Healthy suspicion and checking independent sources remain the best defenses.