13 ways to know if an online shopping site is legit or fake

Since the inception of online shopping, it has revolutionized the way people shop, sell and buy things in the world, it is faster, easier and lots of fun, but on the other hand, a lot of people have lost their hard earned cash to the fraudulent activities of some Internet fraudsters through fake online shopping sites,
Scamwatch reports that a total of $514 903 had been lost to fake online shopping sites since the year begun, and more money might still be lost before the end of the year..

It's becoming harder to Identify Scam websites as Fraudsters are getting smarter but it isn't so  hard to spot when you learn few Tips & signs to Spot scam sites.

So we have gathered the best and most efficient  tips and signs you can use to spot fake shopping sites and the legit ones we have out there...

How To Identify a  fake and legit shopping website

1)Check the URL
the Url  is a major giveaway and the first thing to check when you are on an online shopping site to check if it is either legit or one of the fraud websites out there.
 Most brands that offer e-commerce do so from their own trusted websites with simple URLs—or verified stores also with easy URLs, like Aliexexpress.com, konga.com. 
They make it simple and there are no compelling keywords or keywords inciting customers to buy.. Take a look at these phony shopping sites URLs gucciclothesforless.com, addidaslimitedproducts.com. See the difference?


2)HTTPS SSL encryption 
Another thing to look for in every new website is the secure and
encrypted connection .
Every website that sells items, or services should encrypt connection and information between the user and the server. This is an easy thing to verify in seconds.
 Secure websites protect their most important pages where people can login, sign up or make a payment.
You need to verify that the payment page is secured, all you have to do is to look if you see the green lock at the top left of your browser. That lock is a certification from trusted companies who verified the identity of the website owner, and they encrypt that page with SSL to make it secure.
If a site asks for sensitive data (credit card details, home address etc.), make sure it’s encrypted with SSL. The easiest way to know if it is, is by checking the URL – SSL protected sites start with https://

notice the https?

             


3)The design of the site
Poor-quality photos and cluttered, disorganized unprofessional-looking design are huge red flags that the site can't be trusted.


4) Extremely low discounts or cheap products
When a product is advertised at an unbelievably low price, or advertised to have amazing benefits or features that sound too good to be true, then it really is false.
Everyone likes a bargain, but be wary of sites that offer products like software or music for prices that are far lower than those for the same product from any other merchant.. You should know that any site/seller that offers a $50 product for $5 Is plainly a fraud and the product might either be stolen, illegal or fake. Yes, legit shopping sites offers coupon but the prices are not always drastically low, even on a black Friday.

5)Refund policy 

Reputable sites will spell out their return policy, including their shipping policies. If you can’t find this on a shopping site, or it is written in an unclear format, then shop elsewhere. 

A trustworthy retailer will tell you how and where to return a product you're unhappy with, fake websites, on the other hand, will often have refund policies that are difficult to understand, hard to find or nonexistent. If you can't find the policy, try contacting the company to ask them directly. Stay away if you get a vague answer. Also, if they're shipping the product, they should give you an idea of when it will arrive.

Jumia.com.ng Refund policy (legit) 

6)Shady contact info

Legitimate company websites almost always include contact information including a publicly listed telephone number

If the website has no information about how to contact the shop, such as a telephone number, an email address, or the company’s address,do not buy from the site, Take in mind that most scam websites use public email addresses, such as @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @163.com, @hotmail.com, etc. A legitimate website should use the website’s email address, for example info@website.com. 

7) Safe Payment methods

Any online shopping site that does not support either credit or debit cards or pay on delivery system of payment is likely to be fraud, also look for payment companies logo (e.g. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro). Shops that process online payments have gone through a scrupulous check up by financial institutions, so if they trust them, co can you!

8)Traces of Cloning and mimicking

 Any online shopping site that clones the design, layout, policies, guidelines and some other contents of a major shopping site is a no no and should not be trusted.Fake shopping websites often mislead you and make you believe that you are on a Real website by mimicking every aspect of Original websites, But it is almost impossible to clone exact same design. So you can probably identify them with a little effort. If you ever found such mimicking, leave that Website without a second thought.
Check out the real eBay and fake eBay webpage

9)The English language 

Also, read the fine print carefully before buying anything. Look out for strange wording or spelling and grammar mistakes, as it's common for these sites to be run out of countries where English isn't the first language.

10) Is the website asking for unnecessary information?

Entering your name, email, phone number, billing/shipping address, and some payment information on a checkout screen isn’t uncommon, but be wary of any retailer that requires entering additional information, like your social security number, biometric verification number, or other sensitive information.

11)Use a Google Transparency Report

Too much of a hard work? Well, it is all to save your hard earned money. And trust us, this shall not take much of your time. Access the Google Transparency Report webpage. This should help you to run a website’s address through this service to see the safety ratings of it on Google.

12)Check the WHOIS
WHOIS is a great tool for looking up historical information of any website – IP address, name server, registrar and screenshot history.go to whois.net and type in the shopping site URL. It'll then show you an e-mail associated with the account, and where the site is purportedly located.
 Check the technical and administrative contacts—do they match up too? Does it seem like there is a dedicated team of professionals solely dedicated to protecting this brand's space on the Internet? If it doesn't then it is probably not legit.

13)Search the Internet 

Simply entering the website or company name into a search engine like Google will usually bring back a host of information about the site.

There are lots of popular review websites that share user experiences both regarding the quality of the customer service and products down to warning others about businesses trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

some signs are gotten from : digular.com, greatbuyz.com


Have you been scammed before? Any comments? You have more signs? Don't hesitate to let me know