Is a website legit? How to check an online shop in 5 minutes

Step 1: look closely at the domain name

Scammers often copy the name of a well-known shop and change one letter or the extension, such as .shop or .store instead of the usual country domain. So check the address in your browser’s address bar, not just the logo on the page. A padlock or https only means the connection is encrypted. It says nothing about whether the shop is trustworthy.

For a .nl address, the SIDN whois (SIDN manages .nl) shows whether and since when a domain name has been registered. For many other extensions you can use ICANN’s public lookup service. A domain that is only a few weeks old is not proof of fraud on its own. Combined with extreme discounts, however, it is a clear warning sign.

• SIDN: whois for .nl domains (in Dutch)
• ICANN: public domain name lookup

Step 2: use the Dutch police trader check

On politie.nl you can check whether a trader is known to the Dutch police. You search using details such as a phone number, email address, bank account number or web address. The police compare these details with reports of online trading fraud. This is mainly useful for Dutch traders and sellers; elsewhere, check whether your national police or consumer authority offers a similar tool.

Important: no result does not mean a seller is trustworthy. New fake shops quickly change their name, account number and phone number, so they may not appear in reports yet. Treat the police check as a red light, never as a green one. If you do find a match, do not pay.

• Dutch police: check a trader (in Dutch)

Step 3: check who is behind the shop

An online shop established in the Netherlands must show details such as its business name, address, Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number and contact details on its website. Look up the KvK number in the Dutch business register and compare the name and address. For UK businesses you can do the same with Companies House. A registration number can also be invented or borrowed from another company; only a check in the register tells you something.

Before you order, send a question by email or call customer service. A business that gives a proper answer within a reasonable time is at least reachable. If you only get an automatic reply or nothing at all, you also know how a complaint is likely to go later. Check too whether the terms and returns policy are actually about this shop; copied texts sometimes still contain another company’s name.

• KvK: search the Dutch business register (in Dutch)

Step 4: check trustmarks and reviews at the source

A trustmark logo is an image that anyone can copy. Click it: a genuine trustmark links to a certificate or profile page on the trustmark organisation’s own website, showing the name of this particular shop. If the link does not work or takes you to a different website, the logo means nothing.

Read reviews on an independent platform, not just on the website itself. Look at the dates, at details about delivery and customer service, and at replies from the shop. On trustmark.site each profile shows separately whether there are reviews, whether the owner has claimed the profile and whether there is a trustmark status. A listing in our business directory is not a trustmark.

• How to read the signals on a business profile
• Telling genuine and fake reviews apart
• Warnings on trustmark.site

Step 5: choose a safe payment method

When buying from a shop you do not know, preferably pay with a method that lets you claim your money back, such as a credit card or a well-known buy-now-pay-later provider. With a direct bank transfer, the money reaches the recipient immediately and getting it back is much harder.

Are you being asked to transfer money to a personal account, or to pay with cryptocurrency or gift cards? Stop there. A genuine online shop does not ask for that.

If you paid by credit card and nothing is delivered, you can ask your card issuer for a chargeback. With buy now, pay later, tell the provider if your order does not arrive; do not pay for something you have not received.

All the checks at a glance:

• The domain name is correct and not a copycat
• No match in the police check, but stay alert anyway
• Registration number, address and contact details match the register
• The trustmark logo links to the trustmark organisation’s website
• Recent, varied reviews on an independent platform
• A payment method that lets you claim your money back

More warning signs on the website itself

Besides the five steps, there are signs you notice while clicking around. One sign says little; several together say a lot. Look out in particular for:

• Only a contact form, with no phone number or address
• Contradictory information, such as ‘ships from the UK’ with a delivery time of several weeks
• Everything on sale, often with a countdown timer
• Lots of language errors or sentences that look machine-translated
• No clear returns information, or a return address that only appears after you order
• Social media ads for branded products at a fraction of the normal price

What a check does not tell you, and what to do if things go wrong

All of these checks reduce the risk, but none of them is a guarantee. A real shop can also deliver poorly or go bankrupt. So use your common sense as well: if the price is far lower than anywhere else, or you are pushed to decide within minutes, that is exactly the moment to take your time.

Have you paid and no longer trust it? Contact your bank or credit card company straight away. Keep the order confirmation, screenshots and payment details, and report it to the police. In the Netherlands you can also get advice from the Fraudehelpdesk on 088-786 73 72; elsewhere, use your national fraud reporting service.

Come across a suspicious online shop, even if you have not ordered anything yourself? Report it to a fraud or consumer helpline. That helps warn others before they pay.

• Fraudehelpdesk Netherlands: reporting and advice (in Dutch)
• Avoiding online scams: warning signs and what you can do