Spotting a fake or fraudulent website is not always easy. Scammers are finding more intelligent ways to con people out of their money by producing sites that look completely legitimate. Cybercriminals can replicate genuine websites to trick people into thinking they’re on a company’s official site or create completely separate websites to lure real people in with offers and deals, and then. From there, they can take personal details, including names, addresses, and bank details.

As a result, consumer group Which? has shared some tips on how to spot these fake sites and avoid being a victim of these horrible scams. Which? listed a few checks that can be done, including double-checking the website and looking at reviews, but it also suggested this one piece of advice that some might not know about.

According to Which?, checking if a website’s URL link has a padlock is a beneficial method of determining whether or not the site is secure.

Which? wrote: “A padlock next to a website’s URL means the site is encrypted, so what you do on it – such as browse or make payments – can’t be intercepted. More websites now have this feature, so if you notice a site doesn’t have one, it could be a red flag.”

However, the consumer group also warned people that cyber criminals are able to “forge or buy” the padlocks, so while it is important to look out for the padlock, the measure should also “be combined with other checks”.

So, in addition to giving the website a thorough look, checking reviews, and keeping an eye out for a padlock, Which? says to be cautious of any domains that end in ‘.net’ or ‘.org’ as “these are rarely used for online shopping.”

The group also recommends using a domain checker to find out when the website was created – “a newly created website should raise alarm bells,” Which? added.

So, the next time you come across a suspicious website, make sure to check for the padlock and follow a series of steps, such as going through various pages of the site and checking the domain.

It might seem time-consuming, but it could save you thousands of pounds that you could quickly lose to scammers.