detecting scam websites

[JeenLeen]

Is there a good website to check if other websites are scams?
I'm particularly curious about for checking about online stores, to see if they are legit stores or a front for a scam. I have Googled "is X a scam", but I don't know if the websites that say they report on it are themselves scams or pages with malicious stuff on them.

As an aside, I'm thinking of using fromyouflowers.com to buy Valentine's Day flowers. If anyone has experience with them, please let me know.

[Peelee]

Is there a good website to check if other websites are scams?
I'm particularly curious about for checking about online stores, to see if they are legit stores or a front for a scam. I have Googled "is X a scam", but I don't know if the websites that say they report on it are themselves scams or pages with malicious stuff on them.

As an aside, I'm thinking of using fromyouflowers.com to buy Valentine's Day flowers. If anyone has experience with them, please let me know.

It's not the best way, but a quick and dirty method is taking the website or company name, deleting the .com, and adding in "reviews" into a Google search. For instance, doing this with fromyouflowes gives the first hit as an ad claiming high reviews, while the next two hits are two different lists for "Top 536 Complaints and Reviews about fromyouflowers.com."

I'd say do somewhere else.

[Anthony222]

Actually, I don't know how to detect scam websites, but it would be great to find out. I build sites using mostly the best wordpress themes (https://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php), and I have to buy different things for my work (web hosting, website builders, templates etc.), but I never know what result I will have (except for the checked websites). So, if you find the way to detect, please, share it here. Good luck!

[veti]

Actually, I don't know how to detect scam websites, but it would be great to find out. I build sites using mostly the best wordpress themes (https://www.templatemonster.com/wordpress-themes.php), and I have to buy different things for my work (web hosting, website builders, templates etc.), but I never know what result I will have (except for the checked websites). So, if you find the way to detect, please, share it here. Good luck!

This post right here? beautifully illustrates the problem with the whole idea.

If there were a simple, widely recognised and reliable way of spotting scam websites, it would take a matter of minutes for the scammers to notice that and adjust their tactics accordingly. Within a couple of weeks it would be useless.

The best you can do is Google the company and see what other people have to say about it. Then think about whether any of these "other people" might be more or less trustworthy than others. For instance, if you know them, either personally or by reputation, that's one indicator. If there are a lot of people all saying the exact same thing, that may well be a botnet - look for things that don't fit the pattern. (Also the fact that a botnet is trying to either massage or screw the reputation tells you something in itself.)

In the case of fromyouflowers.com, I can see multiple review aggregator sites (in the first two pages of Google hits) that have all given them a one-star aggregate rating. That's either a botnet that's done an unusually thorough hit job, or an indicator of pretty awful service. I would find a local florist to patronise instead.

[Peelee]

I would find a local florist to patronise instead.

I would certainly hope that the problem has been taken care of by now. Our else we're dealing with someone who prepares for Valentine's Day more than a year in advance