How to tell if a website is fake
Updated: August 2026 · By César Cerrudo
Copying a website is relatively easy. An attacker can reproduce the logo, the photos, the typography, the colors, the products and the text.
That's why you shouldn't decide whether a page is safe based only on how it looks.
Look at the address
A tiny difference can completely change the destination:
Attackers exploit our tendency to read quickly.
HTTPS doesn't prove a company is legitimate
The browser padlock means your communication with that page is encrypted. It does not mean the person behind the page is honest.
A fake site can use HTTPS too.
How did you get there?
It matters. Did you type the address yourself? Did you arrive from Google? From an email? From WhatsApp? From an ad?
When an unexpected message takes you straight to a screen asking for username and password, raise your guard.
Be suspicious of extraordinary offers
A product worth 1,000 listed at 99 should raise questions. Attackers use greed and urgency because both reduce critical thinking.
If in doubt, leave
You don't need to prove a page is fake. You only need to decide whether you trust it enough to give it your password, your card number, your ID or your banking information.
When you're not sure, look up the official page independently.
Don't use the path given to you by the person who may be trying to deceive you.
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César Cerrudo is a professional hacker and cybersecurity researcher with more than 25 years of experience. He helped secure technologies from Microsoft, Oracle, Twitter and IBM, and is the author of A Hacker's Security Guide, a free guide that helps people, families and organizations learn to protect themselves in the digital world.
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