Guides: staying safe online

Practical, plain-English advice for the moments that matter: before you pay, before you click, and after something has gone wrong.

• How to check if a website is legit

  Five checks to do before you pay or log in: the exact address, the site's age, security blacklists, who runs it and how it wants you to pay.

  6 minute read

• How to spot a fake online store

  Ten warning signs of a fake shop — from brand-new web addresses and impossible discounts to "bank transfer only" payment — and what to check before you pay.

  6 minute read

• I paid a scam website. What do I do now?

  A calm, step-by-step plan for the first hour, the first day and the weeks after paying a website you no longer trust — including how to ask your bank for your money back.

  7 minute read

• How to check a link before you click it

  How to read a web address, spot look-alike names like paypa1.com, see where a short link really goes, and when not to click at all.

  5 minute read

• Job and recruiter scams: the warning signs

  Fake recruiters, "task" jobs that pay you to like videos, and cheques for equipment — how job scams work and how to check a recruiter is real.

  6 minute read

• Fake delivery and toll texts: how to spot them

  Texts about a parcel you can't receive or an unpaid toll are a common scam. How to spot them, check the link safely, report them, and what to do if you paid.

  5 minute read

Want to check a specific website? Run a free check, or read how our checks work.