Buzz
Today, Mytour will show you how to evaluate the trustworthiness of a website before engaging with it. To ensure safe internet browsing, you can use Google's Transparency Report or the Better Business Bureau's platform to verify the legitimacy of any site.
Steps
Apply Common Tips
Enter the website's name into a search engine and review the results. If the site poses risks (or is outright illegal), a quick Google search can help you verify its credibility.
- Google often aggregates user reviews for high-traffic websites near the top of search results, so don’t overlook these comments if available.
- Ensure the reviews and feedback you’re reading are from independent sources unaffiliated with the website.
Examine the website's connection type. Websites with "https" are generally more secure and trustworthy compared to those using the standard "http" protocol. This is because the "https" security certificate is a step most illegitimate websites rarely take.
- Not all "https" websites are trustworthy, so it’s best to verify through other means.
- Additionally, ensure the payment page of the website also uses the "https" protocol.
Check the website's security status in the browser's address bar. On most browsers, a "secure" website will display a green lock icon to the left of the URL.
- You can click the lock icon to verify detailed information about the website, such as the type of encryption used.
Evaluate the website's URL. A website's URL includes the connection type ("http" or "https"), the domain name (e.g., "Mytour"), and the extension (".com", ".net", etc.). Even if the connection is secure, watch out for these suspicious signs:
- Multiple hyphens or symbols in the domain name.
- Domain names mimicking other businesses (e.g., "Amaz0n" or "NikeOutlet").
- One-time use websites copying templates from reputable sites (e.g., "visihow").
- Domain extensions like ".biz" and ".info", which are often untrustworthy.
- While ".com" and ".net" extensions aren’t inherently unreliable, they are easier to obtain and thus less credible than ".edu" (educational) or ".gov" (government) extensions.
Look for spelling errors on the website. If you notice numerous spelling mistakes, missing words, poor grammar, or confusing sentences, you can reasonably question the website's credibility.
- Even if the site isn’t technically a scam, language errors raise doubts about the accuracy of its information, making it an unreliable source.
Use the website's "Contact" page. Most websites have a Contact section for users to send questions, comments, or concerns to the site owner. If possible, call or email the provided phone number or email address to verify the website's legitimacy.
- Ensure you scroll to the bottom of the website to find the Contact section.
- If the website lacks a Contact page, this is a highly suspicious sign.
Use the "WhoIs" search tool to find out who registered the website's domain. Every domain must have clear and transparent contact information for the individual or organization that registered it. You can look up registration details for most domains on WhoIs or services like https://whois.domaintools.com/. Here are some things to watch for:
- Private Registration: Domain registration must be transparent. If the contact information is private or listed as "private registration" instead of the owner's real name, the website is likely untrustworthy.
- Suspicious Contact Details: For example, if the registrant's name is "Steve Smith" but the email address is "[email protected]," this suggests the registrant is hiding their true identity.
- Recent Registration or Transfer: If the domain was recently registered or transferred, the website is likely unreliable.
Use Google Transparency Report
Open Google Transparency Report. You can quickly check a website's safety rating on Google using this service.
Click on the "Search by URL" field. This field is located in the middle of the page.
Enter the website's URL. The URL includes the website's name (e.g., "Mytour") and its extension (e.g., ".com").
- For best results, copy and paste the website's URL into this field.
Click the button with the blue magnifying glass icon.
Review the results. Websites are rated from "No data available" to "Not dangerous" and "Partially dangerous."
- For example, sites like Mytour and YouTube are rated "Not dangerous" by Google, while Reddit is labeled "Partially dangerous" due to "misleading content" (e.g., deceptive ads).
- Google Transparency Report also provides examples explaining the rating, allowing you to assess its validity and decide whether to use the site.
Use Better Business Bureau
Open the Better Business Bureau website. The Better Business Bureau offers a verification process you can use to authenticate a website.
- Note: The Better Business Bureau tends to associate businesses with their websites. If you only want to check a site's safety, use Google Transparency Report instead.
Click the Find a Business tab.
Click on the "Find a" text field.
Enter the website's URL. For optimal results, copy and paste the exact URL into this field.
Click on the "Near" field.
Enter the location. While optional, this information helps narrow down the search scope.
- If you don’t know the business's geographical location, you can skip this step.
Click the Search button.
Review the results. You can verify the website's credibility by comparing the Better Business Bureau's findings with the claims made on the site.
- For example, if the website claims to sell shoes but the Better Business Bureau links the URL to an ad revenue service, it’s likely a scam.
- However, if the Better Business Bureau results align with the website's theme, you can trust the site.
Tips
- Wolfram Alpha is also an excellent tool for diagnosing websites.
- Every website has an "About us" section at the bottom. This section is crucial for establishing credibility and providing basic information about the founders and their goals.
Warnings
- User-driven websites like eBay or Craigslist are difficult to classify as "safe" due to their ever-changing nature. While virus infections from eBay are rare, you should still be cautious of potential scams by other users.
