Checking if websites are legit?

[Captain Nemo]

Im not very techy, i know alot on here are.
Where/how do you go about checking if a site is legit?
(IM NOT AFTER GOLF GEAR ON THIS OCCASSION...) :)

[Daves]

Hi L, there are a number of things that give you a clue, find one and I go on alert, find a few and it is pretty much confirmed as doggy. I call them Red Flags, 1 Red Flag = caution, 2 Red Flags = extreme caution, 3 or more and I am out of there.

Other than when it is pretty obvious, I usually start with a domain search, which well tell you Registration and Admin details, contact details etc. I am looking for anomolies and questionable email addresses.

[Daves]

Here is an example dodgy site that I haven't looked at before. I will pick out the non golf specific Red Flags that I have found.

The site is Joyous Golf dot com.

1. Site purports to be an Aussie site (or from what ever country you are in I suspect), name is very Asian, not Aussie sounding at all.
2. Contact is a gmail address
3. Western Union is a method of payment (no recourse or protection).
4. EMS are one of their couriers. Not necessary an issue for an Asian site as EMS are a legit carrier, but why would an Aussie site use EMS?
5. A sprinkling of Engrish in the text
6. Site is registered as being in the UK? and contact is a gmail address
7. Site was created in 2012, yet they claim to have been in business since 2005
8. They have another dodgy named site domained on their server.
9. Free shipping to pretty much everywhere
10. No street or postal address or 'phone number in contact details

[markTHEblake]

You missed a complicated technical test
1. Use Google.

A reputable company will have various connections on the internet. The more the merrier.

You can also use the Wayback Machine to see how long a site has really existed.

[GuyIncognito]

[x] https://
[ ] http://

get to the payment/checkout part and make sure they have an s there...

(whilst this doesnt gtee a site is legit it does mean any info you give on that page(s) will be encrypted)