Are we on a scam site? What should we pay attention to?
Previously, I wrote about how to recognize suspicious advertisements and how to tell when someone is trying to scam us. As online shopping and smartphone usage have become commonplace, scammers are coming up with more and more creative and deceptive ways to get our money. They take advantage of the fact that we’re no longer as cautious as we were during our first online purchase—we don’t read the fine print on webshops as carefully as we did initially. They try to convince us that we’ll receive what we pay for. Common tactics include buying from a fake webshop, ordering products that only exist as pictures, purchasing invalid software activation codes, or—worse—paying through a fraudulent banking page where we end up giving away our card details.
If we’ve already clicked on an ad—whether because it looked legitimate, we weren’t paying close attention, or we clicked by accident—there are still steps we can take to protect ourselves. We need to thoroughly check who we’re buying from, who we’re paying, and what exactly we’re ordering.
What should we look for on the site if we decide to click?
1. Is it a real webshop?
Does the menu lead to other products? While some legitimate businesses sell only one item per site, this is rare. If it’s just a landing page built purely for marketing—with multiple “Buy Now” buttons and persuasive copy—you should at least be able to navigate to a company site or a broader webshop through a logo or link.
What should we check on the page?
1. Contact Information
Look for an email address in the contact section—not just a message form. If there’s no email or it’s a generic address (like gmail.com), that’s a red flag. Check for a phone number too, preferably Hungarian. A distant international number could make complaints nearly impossible—even in cases where you might have a legitimate reason.
2. Who are we making a contract with?
This is crucial when it comes to warranties, returns, and complaints. If you don’t know who you’re dealing with, it’s like handing money to a stranger in a store and trusting them to bring you the product later. Wouldn’t you ask questions at the register? Do it online too.
Look for the impressum, Terms & Conditions (ÁSZF), and shipping policies—usually found in the site footer. These must include the operating company’s name. If not, it’s a huge red flag. And don’t confuse the hosting provider with the actual business—they just provide the server, not the service.
3. Check the URL
If the brand name in the ad doesn’t match the website URL, it’s likely a scam. A reputable brand wouldn’t sell lawn mowers on “funyiro.supersales.now.whatever.” Be mindful: “mircosoft” isn’t “microsoft,” and “google.something.eu” is not the real Google. One letter can make all the difference.
4. Do you recognize the product?
If not, search for it—without “www” or “.hu/.com”. You may find reviews, warnings, or the real product site—revealing that the promotion and pricing were fake. Photos and marketing materials are often reused with small changes, but bitter user reviews can expose the scam.
5. Media Content
As mentioned in a previous article, some scam sites just edit logos in photos to create a “new brand.” However, they often forget to do this in videos, where the real brand is still visible. If brand labels don’t match, walk away.
6. Is the price too good to be true?
A tempting price is great—but an unbelievably low one should make you suspicious. Search for the item across multiple retailers and price comparison sites. If a normally 100,000 HUF item is offered for 30,000 with advance payment—act with extreme caution.
7. The ticking clock may be fake
Time-limited deals and low stock notices are standard marketing tools. But if you always happen to arrive with “16 minutes left” to buy one of the last two items, it’s likely fake urgency. Try opening the page in another browser or in incognito mode—if the countdown restarts, it’s a scam tactic.
8. Cash on delivery (COD)
Being able to pay on delivery increases your chances of receiving something. While it might not be what you ordered, at least your money doesn’t just disappear. Many scams involve asking for a small payment up front—low enough that customers don’t investigate deeply. The item never arrives, emails go unanswered, the ad disappears, and the site is deleted.
Some international sites only accept card payments (e.g., those shipping from China). In such cases, look for others’ reviews beforehand. Paying via PayPal with a set amount is a safer option than entering card details directly.
9. Domain Lookup – A New Tool
Closely related to URL checks, but worth a separate point: domain registration lookup.
When someone registers a new domain—say, for a company—they do it through specific sites. These also show if a domain is taken, who registered it, and when. I recommend domdom.hu. If “atverosoldal.com” and “.eu” are taken but “.hu” and 40 other extensions are still free, that tells you something.
If you see the site was registered two weeks ago in China, you’re probably not dealing with a long-established American business.
+1 Return Policy
Not a classic scam, but an annoying (and often intentional) problem. Where do you return the product if it’s faulty or not as described?
If you see a return address in Hong Kong or Slovenia, ask yourself: will you really send back a 3000 HUF item if it’s broken? For more expensive items, there’s the stress of whether it will arrive—and how you’ll ship it.
Worse still, if the product arrives from a Hungarian address but must be returned to the other side of the world, good luck getting a response—especially through poorly translated customer service chats.
Final Thoughts
After thoroughly investigating the site, you’ll be in a better position to decide whether you’re dealing with a legitimate company and a real product. Although scammers constantly evolve their methods, the key remains: take a moment to pause.
Most scams rely on urgency, impulse buying, fear of missing out, and inattentiveness.
You might miss a good deal by being cautious—but consider whether the discount is worth the risk of losing your money or handing over your banking data to a fake site.
Next time, we’ll take a closer look at URLs and the tricks that appear in SMS messages.
