Is this shopping website legit? How to check a shop before you pay

A big brand at half price. A boutique you found through an advert. A countdown saying the deal ends tonight. Fake shops take your money and send nothing, or something worthless, and they’re busiest before Black Friday and Christmas. Paste the shop’s link below to see where it really goes and whether the site was only just set up.

Updated 20 October 2026 · 4 min read

Check a shop now

Check one now

Paste the shop’s link

Paste the web address of the shop, or the whole advert, text or email that sent you there. Peekray shows where each link really goes, flags sites registered in the last 30 days and addresses pretending to be a big name such as PayPal, Royal Mail or a bank, and gives a clear answer such as Safe, Check first or Scam.

A clean result means no warning signs, not that the shop will deliver. Do the checks below too before you pay a shop you don’t know.

or type or paste it here

Only the web addresses are sent for checking. Screenshots are read on your device, and our server never reads or keeps the rest of your message.

Got a QR code?

Check it before you open it. The code is read in your browser, and only a web address in it is sent for checking.

Spot it

Six signs of a fake shop

  1. 01

    A price that’s too good to be true

    Big brands, designer goods or the latest gadget at a fraction of the usual price. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

  2. 02

    The address borrows a brand’s name

    Fake shops often use a web address that names a well-known brand or product. Read the site name from the right: the real shop is the part just before .com or .co.uk.

  3. 03

    A brand-new website

    Many fake shops are only days or weeks old. Peekray tells you when a site was registered in the last 30 days.

  4. 04

    Pressure to buy now

    Countdown timers, “only 2 left” and “sale ends tonight” are there to stop you checking.

  5. 05

    No real contact details

    Look for a phone number and a street address, not just a contact form or a PO box, plus delivery, returns and privacy pages.

  6. 06

    It asks for a bank transfer

    Real shops take cards. A shop that wants a bank transfer, or a discount if you pay that way, is a big warning sign: that money is very hard to get back.

Before you pay

Four checks that take two minutes

  1. 01

    Type the address yourself

    If an advert, text or email sends you to a deal, go to the shop by typing its address or searching for it instead of tapping the link.

  2. 02

    Look the company up

    Search for the company on GOV.UK’s Companies House service to see if it’s registered, and check that the address on the site matches.

  3. 03

    Read independent reviews

    Check several review sites, not the reviews on the shop’s own pages. Look at recent ones, and be wary of a site with very few reviews or reviews from brand-new accounts.

  4. 04

    Don’t trust the padlock alone

    The padlock only means the connection is encrypted. Scam sites have one too.

Pay safely

How you pay decides if you get it back

  • Credit card

    The best choice. For a single item costing more than £100 and up to £30,000, Section 75 lets you claim from the card company if the goods never arrive.

  • Debit card

    Less protection, but your bank may get your money back through chargeback.

  • PayPal

    You can open a dispute on PayPal’s website within 180 days of paying. For Apple Pay and Google Pay, check what cover your card gives.

  • Bank transfer

    Never for a shop you don’t know. If it’s a scam, you might not get your money back.

Paid already?

Already paid a shop you’re unsure of?

  1. 1

    Call your bank now on the number on the back of your card. In the UK you can also dial 159 to reach your bank safely.

  2. 2

    If the goods never came or aren’t what you paid for, ask your card company about Section 75 or chargeback, or open a PayPal dispute.

  3. 3

    Report the website so it can be taken down (see below), and keep screenshots of the site, the order and any emails.

Clicked a scam link? What to do now

Report it

Where to report a fake shop

In the UK

A fake shop website
Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre, which investigates scam websites.
A scam text with the link
Forward it to 7726. It’s free.
A scam email with the link
Forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
A scam advert
Report it to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Lost money
Tell your bank, then report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Let Peekray do it

Check the next shop before you pay.

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FAQ

Common questions

How do I check if a website is legit?

Paste its link into Peekray to see where it really goes, whether it’s on public scam lists and whether it was registered in the last 30 days. Then look the company up on Companies House, read recent reviews on independent sites, and check for a street address and returns policy. If anything is off, don’t buy.

Does a padlock mean a website is safe?

No. The padlock means the connection is encrypted, so no one can read what you send on the way. Scam shops have padlocks too.

Is a new website always a scam?

No, real shops start somewhere. But many fake shops are only days old, so a brand-new site selling big brands cheaply deserves extra checks, and you should pay by credit card if you go ahead.

I paid a fake shop. Can I get my money back?

Often, if you paid by card or PayPal. Call your bank on the number on your card straight away. A credit card purchase of more than £100 and up to £30,000 is covered by Section 75; for a debit card, ask about chargeback; with PayPal, open a dispute within 180 days. A bank transfer is much harder to recover, but tell your bank anyway.

Does Peekray check that a shop will deliver?

No. Peekray checks the link: where it really goes, whether it’s on public scam lists, whether the address pretends to be a big name such as PayPal, Royal Mail or a bank, and how new the site is. A shop can pass all of that and still be a bad seller, so use the other checks on this page too.

Sources

Where this advice comes from

Guides

More help