How to Check if a Website Is Safe: 2-Minute Checks Before You Log In or Pay
Photo: Alejandro Escamilla, " Man with smartphone and laptop ", CC0 , via Wikimedia Commons. A WhatsApp link promises a 70% festive discount. A search result looks like your bank's login page. Before you type a password or a card number, you need a fast way to decide whether the site is real. This guide shows you how to check if a website is safe in about two minutes, using free tools from Google, VirusTotal and ICANN plus a few habits that catch most fake sites. No single check is perfect. The trick is to stack several quick ones. If two or more of them look wrong, close the tab. Why "it has a padlock" is not enough For years people were told to "look for the padlock". That advice is now out of date. The padlock (or the newer "tune" icon in Chrome) only means the connection between your browser and the site is encrypted with HTTPS. It does not tell you who runs the site or whether they are honest. Certificates are free today, so most ph...