Online Store Legitimacy Checks

Online store legitimacy checks

Use this skill when the user asks whether an unfamiliar webshop, checkout page, product listing, or ecommerce domain is trustworthy enough to buy from.

Hermes usage rules

• Start with a clear verdict: likely OK, mixed / caution, or avoid.
• Use web evidence when available; do not infer legitimacy from HTTPS alone.
• Never ask the user to enter card details, credentials, or checkout information for verification.
• Prefer official registries, company identity, terms, payment protections, reputation patterns, and price plausibility.
• When evidence is incomplete, say what was not verifiable and give a safe buying path.

Default answer shape

1. Give a clear verdict first: likely OK / mixed / avoid.
2. Then list specific evidence checked.
3. End with practical safe-buying advice: payment method, URL hygiene, return/delivery caveats.
4. Avoid overclaiming: say “looks legitimate” rather than “guaranteed safe”.

Evidence workflow

Check as many of these as are available without logging in or entering sensitive data:

1. URL and domain sanity

   • Confirm the domain is the expected store domain, not a lookalike or tracking redirect.
   • Prefer the store homepage and navigate from there when the user sends a deep checkout URL.
   • Old CGI/cart paths can be legitimate if they remain under the correct domain.

2. Transport/security basics

   • Check HTTPS and whether the certificate matches the domain or parent brand.
   • Treat valid HTTPS as necessary but not sufficient.

3. Company identity

   • Find legal entity name, VAT/CVR/org number, physical address, email, and phone in terms/contact pages.
   • Cross-check the legal name/VAT/domain through search snippets or official/company registries when possible.

4. Commerce terms

   • Look for purchase terms, delivery page, returns/cancellation policy, warranty/complaints process, and privacy/cookie pages.
   • For EU/cross-border shops, note if the company ships from another country and whether returns may be inconvenient.

5. Payment risk

   • Prefer card or well-known payment providers with buyer protections.
   • Be cautious with bank transfer, crypto, PayPal Friends & Family, or off-site payment requests.
   • Recognize reputable payment providers, but do not let that alone decide the verdict.

6. Reputation and age

   • Search for Trustpilot/review pages, scam reports, company registry pages, and domain age/WHOIS where available.
   • Do not rely only on star ratings; scan for patterns: non-delivery, fake tracking, refund refusal, chargebacks.

7. Product/price plausibility

   • Compare the deal with market norms when the item is expensive or high-risk.
   • Very low prices, pressure timers, or impossible availability are red flags.

Red flags

• Domain mismatch between product page and checkout/payment page without a well-known payment processor.
• No legal entity, VAT/org number, address, or workable contact path.
• New domain plus large discounts on high-demand products.
• Payment only by bank transfer/crypto or requests to pay outside the website.
• Copied terms, broken checkout, inconsistent languages/currencies, or fake social proof.
• Reviews dominated by recent non-delivery/refund complaints.

Green flags

• Long-lived domain and consistent brand across local country domains.
• Legal entity and VAT/org number visible in terms/contact pages.
• Address and phone match the claimed company.
• Normal card/payment-provider checkout.
• Clear delivery, return, complaint, and refund terms.
• Independent review/registry presence with no obvious scam pattern.

Reporting template

Use concise bullets:

Вердикт: [можно / осторожно / лучше не рисковать]

Что проверил:
- домен/HTTPS: ...
- компания: ...
- оплата: ...
- доставка/возврат: ...
- репутация: ...

Как безопаснее купить:
- заходить вручную через основной домен;
- платить картой/защищённым провайдером;
- не использовать банковский перевод;
- проверить итоговую цену, доставку и возврат перед оплатой.

References

• references/spelexperten-example.md — example of checking a legitimate-looking EU webshop with an old CGI checkout and Swedish legal entity serving Denmark.