Can you trust a website?

Before you click a link, add something to a shopping cart and type your credit card number, make sure you can trust that website. Several services exist that let you type in a website name and then see a credibility score. You should do this to vet a website before typing any personal information into an online form.

Also note that sometimes these websites offer prices at below market value. That helps lure visitors to the site and capture their personal information.

Earning your trust.

Daphne is shopping. She needs new eyeglasses.  She lost her primary pair and is now wearing her spare pair all the time. She still has the prescription and feels she can order a new pair online.

She visits google and searches for eyeglasses. Google presents search results. The first links to http://rbpvv.com. “RBPVV? Who are they?” asks Daphne. She moved the mouse pointer over the link then thinks twice. She decides to check RBPVV and make sure she can trust that website.

Daphne visits http://scamadvisor.com, types “rbpvv.com” in the search field and waits 10 seconds. Scamadvisor reports this site has 0% trust.

“OMG, screams Daphne. I’m glad I did not try buying anything there. I’m glad I did not type in any personal information or credit card numbers.” Daphne was street smart.

What you do.

Think of a website you use often. Amazon, Buy and CNBC all register as 100% trustworthy. You can feel safe typing in a charge card number and buying from them. Other websites…are a different story. You may or may not have heard of them. Regardless, you should check them at http://scamadvisor.com to make sure you can trust them.

Fraudulent websites often take the look and feel of websites we all know and trust. Do not fall for the trap. If a website looks like Amazon.com but the address bar indicates otherwise, you are at a copycat. Copy the address and vet it at http://scamadvisor.com. You may be in for a big surprise. Be street smart out there.