To determine if you can trust a website for online purchases, you must look beyond professional design, as modern scammers use sophisticated templates to appear legitimate. Trust should be built through a combination of technical verification, policy review, and external reputation checks. 1. Technical Indicators of Security

While not a guarantee of a seller's honesty, these signs indicate that your data is at least encrypted during transmission: 8 Ways to Know If Online Stores Are Safe and Legit - McAfee