Top 3 tools to detect fake stores and avoid falling victim to scams this year, 2026
Online stores began as an alternative at the start of the 21st century. Now, in 2026, this technology will be as important, or perhaps even more important, to global commerce than physical stores themselves. The number of cybercriminals and their techniques for creating fake online stores and perpetrating scams have increased significantly.
Fake websites can steal sensitive information from our personal accounts, including bank accounts. Therefore, to avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime, it's essential to have tools that protect us from these practices. We will highlight four practical and improved alternatives for safe online shopping.
- Fake-Shop Detector
This project, developed in collaboration between the Austrian Institute for Applied Communications, X-Net, and the Austrian Institute of Technology, studies suspicious patterns across different web store domains in order to detect fake stores.
This tool, available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, can review various criteria for online stores, such as whether they have genuine and reliable contact information, their terms and conditions, or whether they have received complaints about the site. These key elements, along with other features it implements, allow users to report suspicious stores, thus contributing to the improvement of its growing database.
ScamAdviser
We're talking about one of the most widely used applications for defending ourselves against these bad practices. Fortunately, it has the ability to analyze additional factors such as the age of the web domain. Furthermore, it can also analyze the server location and takes into account previous user reviews.
As you can see in the image, the site includes a search engine so you can enter URLs, phone numbers, encryption addresses, or a user's IBAN. The function is perfectly legal, and thanks to its comprehensive database, you're likely to find the answer to your questions here.
It also has an app for Android and iPhone and browser extensions so you can use it on different devices, available at this link .
- Netcraft Extension
This tool, designed as a browser extension, also detects fraud in real time. It's updated daily with lists of dangerous websites and blocks your access to them by notifying you of the threat. It's particularly useful for sites exhibiting phishing behavior.
In this case, it gives a full picture of the reputations of online stores by showing their transaction history, server location, and security certificates. Lastly, it has a tool for reporting websites that look suspicious so you can help other users avoid being victims of cybercriminals, just like they are helping you.