Website Legitimacy Checker: is this website a scam?
Paste a web address and find out whether the site is trustworthy — before you buy, sign up, or enter your details.
Fake and fraudulent websites are everywhere — fake online shops that take your money and never ship, cloned versions of real brands built to steal logins, and "too good to be true" stores advertised on social media. Many look completely professional.
Before you enter your card details or create an account, it is worth taking a few seconds to check whether a site is what it claims to be. Small signals — the exact web address, how the site handles payment, the contact information — separate a real business from a trap.
Spidanest checks a website’s address against live databases of known scam and phishing sites, inspects the domain for lookalike tricks, and uses AI to weigh the risk signals — giving you a clear verdict before you commit.
Warning signs of a scam website
A web address that misspells a known brand or adds extra words (e.g. "nike-outlet-sale.com").
Prices that are dramatically lower than everywhere else — a classic fake-shop lure.
No real contact information, or only a web form and a generic email.
Pressure tactics like countdown timers, "only 2 left," or aggressive pop-ups.
Payment only by wire, gift card, cryptocurrency, or bank transfer — methods with no buyer protection.
A brand-new domain, spelling and grammar mistakes, or reviews that all sound identical.
How to check if a website is legit
Scan the address
Paste the site’s web address into Spidanest to check it against known-scam databases and lookalike-domain checks.
Inspect the domain closely
Read the address character by character. Scammers rely on you skimming past a subtle misspelling or an extra hyphen.
Look for real trust signals
Genuine businesses list a physical address, real customer service, and clear return policies. Search the brand name plus "scam" or "reviews."
Pay safely
Use a credit card or a protected payment service. Never pay a store by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency — those payments cannot be reversed.
Not sure? Check it in seconds.
Paste the website address into the scanner. Spidanest returns a clear risk score, a threat tier, and a plain-English explanation of exactly what it found — free to start.
Scan it free nowFrequently asked questions
How can I check if a website is legit?
Paste the web address into Spidanest to check it against live scam and phishing databases and for lookalike-domain tricks. Also inspect the exact spelling of the address, look for real contact details, and search the brand name alongside "scam" or "reviews."
What are the biggest signs of a fake online store?
Prices far below the market, payment only by wire/gift card/crypto, no real contact information, a brand-new or misspelled domain, and high-pressure countdowns. Any one of these is a reason to slow down and verify.
I already paid on a scam website — what should I do?
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately to dispute the charge and, if possible, reverse it. Change any password you created on the site, watch for identity misuse, and report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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