Fake websites — convincing copies of real retailers, banks, or government services — are one of the most common tools fraudsters use to harvest payment details and personal information. A few practical checks can catch most of them before you enter anything sensitive.
Check the domain carefully: look for extra words, hyphens, or slight misspellings (e.g. "amaz0n-secure.com" instead of "amazon.co.uk").
Look for a padlock and HTTPS — necessary but not sufficient on its own, since fake sites can have this too; use it alongside other checks, not instead of them.
Search the exact business name plus "reviews" or "scam" — genuine complaints about a fake site often surface quickly.
Check for a genuine UK company registration if the site claims to be a registered business — verify it independently rather than trusting a number printed on the page itself.
Prices significantly below every other retailer for the same item.
Checkout pages that only accept bank transfer or unusual payment methods, avoiding card payment protections.
No genuine contact address, or a contact page that only offers a web form with no phone number or physical address.
If you've entered payment details on a suspected fake site, contact your bank immediately to flag the card. Report the site to the National Cyber Security Centre at ncsc.gov.uk/report-scam-website.
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Check any UK company against the official Companies House register, live, before trusting them with your details.
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