VERIFIED.FYI · GUIDES

Trust & safety on the modern web

Practical guides on spotting scams, vetting unfamiliar websites, and using verified.fyi's signals to stay safe.

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Articles

Are Password Managers Safe? How They Protect You and What Can Go Wrong

How password managers protect your logins, what the LastPass breach showed, how Bitwarden, 1Password and browser managers compare, and how to secure yours.

· 12 min read
Articles

Fraud Alert vs Credit Freeze: Which One Do You Need?

A fraud alert makes US lenders check it's you; a credit freeze closes your file to new credit. How each works, how to lift one, and what neither stops.

· 12 min read
Articles

Passkeys vs Passwords: Are Passkeys Safer, and Should You Switch?

How passkeys differ from passwords, why they resist phishing, synced or device-bound, whether you still need 2FA, and how to avoid getting locked out.

· 8 min read
Articles

Fake IRS Websites, Texts and Letters: How to Spot Them

IRS.gov is the only IRS website. How fake IRS sites, texts and letters work, how the real IRS contacts you, and what to do if you clicked.

· 8 min read
Articles

Ticket Resale Scams: How They Work and How to Buy Safely

Fake sellers, lookalike resale sites and tickets that don't exist: how ticket scams work, where to buy resale tickets safely, and what to do if you've paid.

· 8 min read
Articles

What Is a Tracking Pixel? How Pixels Track You in Email and on Websites

A tracking pixel tells a sender you opened an email, or an ad platform what you did on a site. What pixels collect, the rules and how to block them.

· 12 min read
Articles

Is Vinted Safe? Buyer Protection and Scams on Vinted, Depop, Mercari and Etsy

Vinted refunds lost, damaged or misdescribed items if you pay with Buy now and report within two days. The scams to avoid, plus Depop, Mercari and Etsy.

· 12 min read
Articles

How Website Safety Verdicts Work: Blocklists, Scores and AI

Blocklists, trust scores and AI each judge a website differently. How each verdict is made, what a 0–100 score means, and what no checker can see.

· 11 min read
Articles

Phishing: How to Spot a Fake Email, Text or Login Page

How to recognise phishing emails, scam texts and fake login pages, why the padlock proves nothing, and what to do if you've already clicked.

· 11 min read
Articles

Is Shein Safe to Buy From? Payments, Data, Product Tests and Scams

Shein is a real retailer with a regulatory record. What its 2018 breach, product tests and fines found, and how to pay, return and spot fake Shein offers.

· 8 min read
Articles

Is Temu Safe? Payments, Privacy, Product Safety and Scams

Temu is a real marketplace. What protects your payment, what the privacy lawsuits and EU product tests found, how to spot fake Temu sites, and DHgate.

· 9 min read
Articles

Website Safety Checkers: What They Look At and What a Score Can't Tell You

What a website checker like verified.fyi looks at, what its score can and can't tell you, and the quick checks by hand to pair it with.

· 11 min read
Articles

Reputational Risk for Small Businesses: Causes, Warning Signs and What to Do First

What reputational risk means for a small business: reviews, breaches, scams, suppliers and staff, the rules that apply, and what to do after an incident.

· 11 min read
Articles

Malware Hosting Detection: Where Malware Is Served From and How to Spot It

Where malware is hosted now, from hacked sites and GitHub to bulletproof servers, and the free feeds and checks that detect it before a download runs.

· 12 min read
Articles

Website Reputation Indicators: Which Warning Signs Actually Matter

Hidden owners, padlocks, trust badges, redirects and empty pages: which website warning signs mean something, which mean little, and how to check each.

· 10 min read
Articles

Business Website Authenticity: How to Tell a Real Company From a Fake

A real business leaves records a fake can't copy. How to check a company's website is genuine, spot clone firms, and make your own site provably real.

· 12 min read
Articles

How to Verify a Crypto Transaction and Spot an Investment Scam

Check a crypto transaction on a block explorer, confirm a trading platform is licensed, and spot pig-butchering and recovery scams before you send.

· 11 min read
Articles

Online Scams: The Common Types, How to Spot Them and Where to Report

Phishing, fake shops, investment, romance, job and AI scams: how each works, the signs they share, how to pay safely and where to report one.

· 11 min read
Articles

How to Verify a Payment Page Before You Pay

The padlock only means the connection is encrypted. What to check on a checkout page before typing your card number, and how to pay safely.

· 8 min read
Articles

How to Spot an AI Scam: Cloned Voices, Deepfakes and Fake Profiles

AI makes scams look and sound real. How to spot cloned voices, deepfake calls, AI phishing, fake shops and fake personas, and how to check them.

· 8 min read
Articles

How to Spot a Fake Online Shop

Fake shops borrow photos, invent family backstories and fake their reviews. How to spot one, scam Shopify stores included, before you pay.

· 10 min read
Articles

Vetting a Supplier or Client by Their Website: A Checklist

Before you sign with or pay a new supplier or client, check what their website claims against company registers, domain records and your bank.

· 11 min read
Articles

How to Check a Website, Game or App Is Safe for Your Child

Before your child uses a new site, game or app: check who runs it, who can contact them, what it collects and costs, then set the controls that back you up.

· 9 min read
Articles

A Safe Browsing Checklist: Browser Warnings, Downloads and Everyday Habits

What the red browser warnings mean and why not to click through, how to spot fake download buttons, and the few habits that keep a browser safe.

· 10 min read
Guides

How to Tell if a Website Is Legit: The Complete Guide

A practical 2026 guide to spotting fake, unsafe, and AI-generated scam websites — what to check, what to ignore, and the signals that actually matter.

· 10 min read