Is This Ad a Scam? Check the Shop’s Domain Age

How it works

Step 1
Paste the ad’s address
The whole address works, tracking parameters included. We keep only the domain name and never open the site.
Step 2
Your browser asks the registry
It looks up which registry runs that ending and asks it directly for the registration date. We are not in the middle.
Step 3
Read the age, then tick the signs
The age comes as a fact, beside signs from official guidance that you check on the shop’s own pages.

How old should a shop’s domain be?

There is no age that settles it. An FBI alert of 3 August 2020 listed addresses registered within the last six months among the indicators reported in fake shopping sites, and a Swiss federal cybersecurity report of 15 July 2025 says most domains reported to it as suspicious that were under three months old turned out to be scams. Both are about the sites that were reported, not a rule for every new shop: the Swiss report also says a shop with no reviews might simply be new, and that honest shops face risks with first-time customers. So read the age as a reason to look harder at the other signs, never as an answer.

Where does the age of the domain come from?

From the registry, the organisation that keeps the official record of every name under one ending, such as .com or .uk. Your browser asks the registry’s public RDAP server for the “registration” event of the name and this page puts it in words. Two limits apply. Some registries show only the first registration, so a name that changed hands recently can look old. And addresses once used by popular sites can be registered again by someone else, as Netsafe and the New Zealand Domain Name Commission warn.

What happens to the address I paste?

It stays in your browser. The page cuts it down to the registrable name (example.co.uk, with no path and no tracking parameters) and sends only that name to the registry. The shop’s own website is never opened, loaded or contacted, nothing you paste or tick is saved or sent to us, and the name is not turned into a link. The addresses you check are not published and not kept in any list.

What if the ad link has another address inside it?

Ad links often wrap the real destination inside a parameter. The part in front then belongs to the company that serves the ad, which can be old and well known, and would make any shop look established. When the page finds another address inside the one you pasted, it lists both and asks you which one is the shop. It never follows the link to find out.

Why is there no “safe” or “scam” answer?

Because no fact on this page can support one. A date says when a name was registered, and nothing about who is behind the shop or what it sells. The checklist beside the result repeats what consumer agencies and police publish as things to look for; the count of what you ticked is a count, not a score. If you decide not to buy, or you have already paid, the next pages say where to report and what to do.

Questions about checking an ad’s website

Can a brand-new domain belong to an honest shop?

Yes. Every shop has a first day. The Swiss federal report says a shop with no history might simply be new, so there is no way to tell how trustworthy it is from that alone. That is why the age sits beside a list of other signs and not above them.

Can an old domain be used for a fake shop?

Yes. Netsafe and the Domain Name Commission warn that a name once tied to a popular site can be registered again and used for something unrelated, and the Swiss report notes that a registry may show only the first registration. An old date is no guarantee.

Does the padlock or “https” show that a shop is real?

No. The FTC says the “s” after “http” means the connection is encrypted, not that the site is legitimate, and the Swiss federal report says almost all fake shops now use encryption. The FBI’s 2023 alert also says not to judge a company by a flashy website.

What does it mean when the page says the registry does not publish RDAP?

Some endings, many of them country codes, have no RDAP server in the list that IANA publishes, so there is no record this page can read. That says nothing about the shop. Look the name up on the registry’s own website, or use ICANN Lookup.

Do you keep a list of bad shops?

No. There is no blacklist, no database of checked addresses and no way to report a shop to us. To report a shop, use the official channels on the where to report page.

What if I already paid?

Contact the company you paid through as soon as you can and report it to the authorities of your country. The what to do if you paid page gives the steps by payment method, each from an official page.

Already doubtful, or already paid?

Where to report, what to do if you paid, and the kinds of fake ads official sources describe.

Sources and limits

Online Shopping
Never pay sellers who insist on gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps or cryptocurrency; a credit card protects you best; https does not mean legitimate; the site must say whether you can return the item; search the store with “complaint” or “scam”; star ratings can be fake; report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Federal Trade Commission (US consumer protection agency), Consumer Advice. Page dated: May 2023. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
How to avoid an online shopping scam this holiday season
Ads for brand-name products at unusually low prices may lead to a site built to take your money; a seller that takes only gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps or cryptocurrency is probably a scam; search the seller and its address with “review”, “complaint” or “scam”; pay by credit card; keep records.
Federal Trade Commission (US consumer protection agency), Consumer Alert. Page dated: 25 November 2025. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
FBI Sees Rise In Online Shopping Scams (I-080320-PSA)
Reported indicators of fake shopping sites (low prices, addresses registered within the last six months, copied content and shared contact details, advertised on social media), tips (check the domain registration through Whois, check reviews and the contact details) and the steps for a victim.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Public Service Announcement. Page dated: 3 August 2020. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
2023 Holiday Shopping Scams (I-111523-PSA)
Untrusted websites and social media ads with unrealistic discounts, retailers that use a free e-mail service, wariness of wire transfers, virtual currency, gift cards or cash, the advice not to judge a company by a flashy website, and the steps for a victim.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Public Service Announcement. Page dated: 15 November 2023. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Week 28: Spotting scam websites
Checks for a shop you do not know: reviews, a very large number of five-star ratings, the website address (typos, odd hyphens), the domain registration date (most reported domains under three months old turned out to be scams; the registry may show only the first registration), contact details, terms and conditions, unusual payment demands, and that a padlock does not mean trustworthy. It also says a shop with no reviews might simply be new.
National Cyber Security Centre (Swiss federal government). Page dated: 15 July 2025. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Shopping and paying safely online
Fake shops copy logos and products and use a deceptive domain that resembles a real one; type the known address or search instead of clicking a link; use a credit card (Consumer Credit Act), debit cards may allow a chargeback claim; never pay by direct bank transfer.
National Cyber Security Centre (UK government). Page dated: guidance of 17 January 2019, as dated on the NCSC’s own “Online shopping fraud” page. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
#ShopSafeNZ fact sheet
Six tips: does the address match the goods; images and language; whether several payment options are shown but only one can be chosen; research the seller and search its name with “scam” or “review”; contact, delivery and returns details; the WHOIS record (recent registration dates are a tell-tale sign, and old addresses of once-popular sites can be re-registered by scammers). Contact details for .nz fake shops and for Netsafe.
Netsafe (New Zealand online safety organisation) with the Domain Name Commission (which oversees .nz names). Page dated: PDF created 18 February 2025. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
E-Commerce: Tips And Advice To Avoid Becoming A Fraud Victim
Read the terms and conditions; check that the merchant’s address details are on the page and proceed with caution if there are none; pay by card because card customer protection can help you get a refund; if you are a victim, report to your local or national police and to your bank.
Europol (European Union law enforcement agency), prevention guide. Page dated: 21 June 2017, updated 10 February 2025. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Merchandise
Fake ads appear on classified and resale sites, in pop-ups and on fake company websites; if the asking price is too good to be true, it is; counterfeit sellers often show no customer phone number or e-mail.
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Page dated: modified 16 January 2026. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
IANA: RDAP bootstrap file for domain names
Which registry server answers RDAP queries for each ending. The page downloads it when you press the button, then asks that server directly.
IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). Page dated: file published 30 September 2026. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
RFC 9083: JSON responses for RDAP
The format of a registry answer, including the “registration” and “expiration” events that this site reads.
IETF (RFC Editor). Page dated: RFC 9083, as numbered by the RFC Editor. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Public Suffix List
The list of endings under which people register names (.com, .co.uk, .com.br…). It is how this site finds the registrable name in an address. It is a volunteer-maintained list and can be out of date for a new ending.
Public Suffix List project. Page dated: list version 2026-10-07. Opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

Not confirmed: Official pages we tried and could not read, so nothing here rests on them: Scamwatch (Australia) (the server refused the request (HTTP 403)); FBI.gov scams and safety pages (the server refused the request (HTTP 403)); Report Fraud (UK police service) (the server refused the request (HTTP 403); the NCSC page we did open names it); ReportFraud.ftc.gov (not opened; the FTC pages we did open name it).

Source: Public Suffix List, opened on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

This is information, not advice, and it is not a verdict on any shop. Guidance changes: each source shows the date it carries and the day we opened it. If you have lost money, go to the where to report and what to do if you paid pages.

Is this ad a scam? Check how old the shop’s address is

Signs to look for on the shop’s own pages