Evergreen Study · evergreenstudy.com/checklists/spotting-a-fake-website/ · Reviewed 20 October 2026 · Printed

Print this checklist Or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac). The printout leaves out menus and adds the site name, address and date.

1. I reached the site myself, by typing the address or using a bookmark, not from an advert or a message.
2. The address matches the official one exactly: no extra words, swapped letters or different ending.
3. I know the padlock only means an encrypted connection, not an honest owner.
4. If the site offers financial or crypto services, the firm appears in my national regulator's official register with the same web address.
5. The firm is not on a regulator's warning list (and I know that absence from the list is not proof of safety).
6. The site does not ask for a recovery phrase, ever.
7. Withdrawals do not require paying a fee, tax or deposit first.
8. Nobody is pressuring me with countdowns, "VIP levels" or a personal account manager.
9. My password manager recognises the site and offers to fill in the login.

If any check fails, close the page and do not enter anything.

We will never ask for your recovery phrase, keys or passwords. General safety education, not financial advice. Free to print and share for non-commercial use.