ScamsTester is an independent website trust verification service that helps users determine whether a website is safe, legitimate, and trustworthy. We analyze websites using a proprietary 47-point trust criteria framework that evaluates domain history, security configuration, business registration, payment practices, and community sentiment. Our mission is to protect online users from scam websites, phishing attempts, and fraudulent platforms by providing free, unbiased trust reports backed by data.
Trust scores are calculated using our 47-point evaluation framework, which is organized into seven weighted categories: Domain & Infrastructure (15%), Security & Encryption (15%), Business Legitimacy (20%), Financial Practices (15%), User Experience (10%), Community Sentiment (15%), and External Reputation (10%). Each criterion is scored independently on a 0–100 scale, then combined into a weighted composite score. The full process involves eight sequential steps, from automated domain analysis through manual expert review. You can learn more on our Methodology page.
Yes, all trust reports on ScamsTester are completely free for individual users. You can search for any website and view its full trust report, score breakdown, and safety assessment at no cost. We also offer a free API tier for developers (100 requests per day). Our revenue comes from premium API plans for businesses, enterprise security consulting, and educational partnerships — not from charging consumers for access to trust data.
Trust scores are updated on a continuous rolling basis. Our automated scanners re-evaluate every site in our database at least once every 30 days, with high-traffic and recently flagged sites scanned weekly or even daily. User reports and complaint database cross-references are processed in near real-time, and significant new data can trigger an immediate score recalculation. The "Last Updated" timestamp on each report shows when the most recent evaluation was completed.
Absolutely. If a website you're interested in doesn't have a report yet, you can request a review through our contact page by selecting "Request a Review" as the subject. We prioritize requests based on user demand and potential risk indicators. Most requested reviews are completed within 5–7 business days. You can also submit a site directly through the search bar on our homepage — if we don't have a report for it, it will be queued for analysis.
Trust scores are divided into three ranges. 0–30 (Danger): Sites with multiple high-severity risk indicators — avoid entirely. 31–60 (Caution): Mixed signals with some legitimate characteristics but also concerning factors — proceed carefully and do additional research. 61–100 (Safe): Sites that have passed the majority of our verification checks and meet our standards for trustworthiness. While no score guarantees absolute safety, these ranges provide a reliable starting point for evaluating risk.
We verify business registration by querying official government registries in over 40 jurisdictions worldwide. For U.S. entities, we check the SEC EDGAR database and state-level Secretary of State filings. For U.K. companies, we query Companies House. We compare the registered company name, incorporation date, registered address, and listed officers against the information displayed on the website. Discrepancies, shell company structures, and recently formed entities with no operating history are flagged as risk factors.
Yes. ScamsTester takes data privacy seriously. We do not require account creation to view trust reports, and we do not track your browsing activity across our site. Our infrastructure is protected by 256-bit SSL encryption, and we are fully GDPR and CCPA compliant. If you submit a user report or contact form, the information you provide is used solely for its stated purpose and is never sold to third parties. For full details, please review our Privacy Policy.
We welcome feedback and take disputes seriously. If you believe a trust score is inaccurate, you can submit a dispute through our contact page. Please include the website URL, the specific aspects of the score you disagree with, and any supporting evidence. Our review team will investigate and respond within 5 business days. Legitimate disputes may result in a score adjustment if new evidence warrants it. We are committed to accuracy and will always correct verifiable errors.
Editorial independence is a cornerstone of ScamsTester's credibility. We do not accept payment from website operators for favorable reviews, and no site can pay to have its report modified or removed. Our revenue comes from API licensing, enterprise consulting, and educational partnerships — none of which create conflicts with our consumer-facing reports. All team members sign conflict-of-interest disclosures, and our methodology undergoes annual independent audit. If a potential conflict is identified, the affected report is reassigned to a different analyst.
We cross-reference over 30 external databases and complaint repositories during every evaluation. These include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), FTC complaint records, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Trustpilot, Sitejabber, PhishTank, Google Safe Browsing, the APWG eCrime Database, Spamhaus, ICANN WHOIS records, and international equivalents such as the European Consumer Centre Network and Australian ACCC. We also query business registries, SSL certificate transparency logs, and specialized cybersecurity threat intelligence feeds.
No. ScamsTester reports are produced independently and cannot be removed at the request of the website operator. However, site owners can submit a verified claim to our team to provide additional context or correct factual inaccuracies. If a site has genuinely improved — for example, by obtaining proper business registration, fixing security vulnerabilities, or resolving outstanding complaints — those improvements will be reflected in the next scheduled evaluation cycle. Our goal is accuracy, not punitive permanence.
Our trust scores have a validated accuracy rate of 98.7%, measured by comparing our score classifications against known outcomes over a dataset of 12,000+ websites. This means that in 98.7% of cases, our Danger/Caution/Safe classification correctly predicted the actual trustworthiness of the site as determined by subsequent user experiences and regulatory actions. We continuously refine our model to reduce false positives and false negatives, and we publish quarterly accuracy reports on our blog.
Absolutely not. ScamsTester has a strict no-pay-for-play policy. We have never accepted and will never accept payment from any website in exchange for a favorable review, a higher trust score, or preferential placement in our directory. Our credibility depends on the integrity of our data, and any attempt by a site operator to offer payment for score manipulation is documented and may itself be treated as a negative trust signal.
You can report a suspected scam website through our contact page by selecting "Report a Scam Site" as the subject. Please include the website URL, a description of the suspicious activity, and any screenshots or evidence you can provide. Reports from registered users with verified accounts are given priority processing. We also recommend filing a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and your local consumer protection agency for maximum impact.
Yes, we offer a full REST API that allows developers to integrate ScamsTester trust data into their own applications, browser extensions, and security tools. The free tier allows 100 requests per day, the Pro tier supports 5,000 requests per day, and enterprise plans offer unlimited access with dedicated support. Visit our API Documentation page for endpoints, authentication details, and code examples.
For websites already in our database, trust reports are available instantly. For new sites that require a fresh evaluation, the automated scanning stages (domain analysis, SSL verification, security scanning, and database cross-referencing) typically complete within minutes. The full 8-step process, including manual expert review, is usually completed within 5–7 business days for requested reviews. High-priority reports for sites with active fraud indicators may be fast-tracked.
Yes, journalists, academics, and researchers are welcome to cite ScamsTester data in publications with proper attribution. For academic research, we can provide access to anonymized datasets and methodology documentation upon request. Media inquiries should be directed to our press team through the contact page. Please note that while individual trust reports are public, bulk scraping of our database without API authorization is prohibited under our Terms of Service.
Still have questions? Contact our support team — we typically respond within 24–48 hours.