In money matters, both safety and security are paramount. You want to know if the site is reliable and trustworthy to handle your money and card details. This is especially true when buying precious PoE currency — anything really, for that matter.
So here are five easy tips to help you find out if a site is reliable:
1 – Check the URL
Website URLs start with ‘http://’. Secure sites have ‘https://’ as well as a padlock sign somewhere in the address bar. It depends on the browser. Google Chrome places it to the immediate left of the URL, same with Mozilla Firefox. Others may have it in the same place, but the only other place it should be found is on the other end of the address bar.
Check the rest of the URL as well. Some things to look out for are multiple dashes or symbols, knockoffs of actual business domain names, and extensions like “.biz” and “.info”. Be warned: These are markers of suspicious sites and you should be cautious around them.
2 – Avoid Sites Crowded with Ads
Specifically, if the site has ads that redirect you to another page, play music, ask you to take a survey, fill the whole page, or are explicit, it’s likely to be an unreliable site. There may even be the kind that redirects you without even clicking on one!
At any rate, those are gates for various malicious software. Avoid them as much as you can. It’s not worth it to brick your PC or have your identity stolen for whatever you wanted to buy.
3 – Use the ‘Contact’ Page
Most sites will have a contact page where you can ask about the products or services they’re selling. The fact that there’s a ‘Contact Us’ page should give you the assurance that they’re legitimate. Be sure to scour the entire site for it, as having none is a big red flag. It’s also a little suspicious to have one that’s empty and/or ‘Under Construction’. It’s quite understandable if it’s a rather new site, but that’s a bit of a red flag as well. Tread with caution.
4 – Search It on Google
If a site is generally unscrupulous and untrustworthy, searching it on Google should turn up a number of negative reviews. Also, the engine puts user reviews of high-traffic sites on the first page of the results. Check those out if they’re not affiliated with the site you’re trying to evaluate. Other people’s experiences with the site should be a reliable indicator, especially if they all agree on one opinion.
5 – Look for Bad Grammar
Maybe they didn’t find a better writer, or English isn’t their first language. These are possibilities. However, too many errors and bad grammar are already red flags. It’s also indicative of poor accuracy of information, so it makes the site unreliable on two fronts. Take care that you don’t dismiss a translated site though. Still, it would be good to be careful.
Conclusions
So that’s five markers to watch out for. Check the URL, avoid ads, use the ‘Contact Us’ page, check site reviews, and grammar. If everything checks out, the website is more likely a reliable and safe one. Keep these in mind the next time you try buying online!
Summary: Here are 5 ways to check if a site is reliable to buy Path of Exile currency from. Be safe in your online shopping endeavors, and have fun!