How can I tell if a discount online store is legit?

The pattern is reliable: legit stores have a history — a domain registered years ago, reviews that exist off their own site (Trustpilot, Reddit, the BBB), a real address and phone number, and prices that are good but plausible. Fake discount stores invert every one of those: a newborn domain, 70–90% off everything, no way to reach a human, and reviews that exist nowhere else. When in doubt, search the store name plus “scam” and check the domain's age before your card number goes anywhere near the checkout.

Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.