The internet is a wild place, with everything from unsophisticated phishing sites riddled with malware to grand webpages that gather and display data using unscrupulous means. Fortunately, there are tools available to check if the site is safe and protect yourself when you’re online.

The easiest thing to look for is a padlock icon in the URL bar, or the website’s address starts with “https”. The latter indicates that your connection is encrypted, which keeps hackers from spying on your web traffic. A reputable website will also prioritize user privacy, and have a transparent privacy policy. Websites that hide their data usage with legalese or jargon aren’t worth your time and money.

How to Check if a Website is Safe: Tips and Tools

Another great way to verify a website’s legitimacy is through reviews and ratings. You can find these on social media, search engines, and website safety services such as VirusTotal and Google Safe Browsing. These tools scan links with over 70 different antivirus scanners and URL/domain blacklisting services to give you a safe-to-visit rating within seconds.

You can also use a whois lookup to find out who owns the website when and where it was registered, and contact information. While this isn’t a guarantee that a site is legitimate, it can help you decide whether to trust it with your personal or financial information. Finally, pay attention to the language on a website: misspelled words, poor grammar, awkward phrasing, and inaccuracies in information should all be red flags.