Checking whether a South African website is genuine takes a few minutes and almost always comes down to the same handful of signals. None of them require special tools.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
Nobody checks it for you. There is no register of legitimate websites and no authority that vets online shops before they trade, so the check is yours to do before you pay.
What to do, in order
- Look at the domain itself, character by character. Fake shops use near-misses of real names, with an extra letter, a hyphen, or a different ending such as .shop or .store in place of .co.za.
- Find a physical address and a landline. A South African business trading legitimately generally publishes both. A cellphone number and a contact form on their own tell you very little.
- Check the bank account name at checkout. If payment goes to a personal account rather than the business name, stop there.
- Search the exact business name together with the word complaints or scam, and read what comes back.
- Check how old the site is and how it is paid for. A brand new site offering deep discounts on scarce goods is the classic setup.
- Be suspicious of prices well below everyone else. That is the bait, and it is the single most reliable warning sign.
What to have ready before you make contact
- The exact domain, copied rather than retyped.
- The business name and registration number if the site gives one.
- The bank account details shown at checkout.
- Screenshots of the product page and the price, in case you need them later.
The three checks that catch almost everything
- Check the identity. Confirm the organisation or person is who they claim, using a contact route you found yourself. Never use a number or address supplied in the same message that is asking you to act.
- Check the account name. For any payment, the bank account holder’s name should match the business you believe you are paying. Payment to a personal account for a business transaction is the single strongest warning sign there is.
- Check the payment method. Prefer something you can dispute. A card payment can be challenged through your bank; an instant transfer or a cryptocurrency payment generally cannot be recovered at all.
Almost every scam in this category fails at one of those three. The pressure to act quickly exists precisely to stop you running them.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Trusting a padlock in the address bar. It means the connection is encrypted, not that the business is honest.
- Judging by how professional the site looks. Templates are cheap and fake shops look excellent.
- Relying on reviews on the site itself, which the site controls.
- Paying by instant transfer or cryptocurrency, which cannot be reversed once sent.
The scam to watch for
Pay by a method you can dispute. A card payment can be charged back through your bank; an instant EFT or a cryptocurrency payment generally cannot. When a seller pushes you away from card payment towards a direct transfer, that push is itself the warning.
If it is not resolved
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud handles unresolved consumer complaints against participating suppliers, free of charge to the consumer. It also expects you to have gone through the supplier’s own complaints process first. The National Consumer Commission is the statutory consumer authority and handles matters that fall outside an ombud scheme’s remit.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| CGSO consumer complaints call centre | 0860 000 272 |
| CGSO WhatsApp | 081 335 3005 |
| CGSO general email | [email protected] |
| National Consumer Commission contact centre | 012 065 1940 |
| National Consumer Commission enquiries email | [email protected] |
Related contact pages
- Verification
- Identity Theft Contact Details South Africa
- Verify Before You Pay
- Banking Scam Prevention South Africa
- Change Of Banking Details Scam
- Check If Online Store Is Legit South Africa
- Company Impersonation Scam South Africa
- ContactDetails.co.za home
- How to verify a contact number before you use it
Frequently asked questions
Is a .co.za domain safer than .com?
No. A .co.za domain is easy to register and is used by fraudulent sites too. The ending tells you nothing about the business behind it.
The site has a padlock. Does that mean it is safe?
No. The padlock means traffic is encrypted. Fraudulent sites obtain certificates as easily as anyone else.
What if I have already paid?
Contact your bank immediately and ask about a chargeback or a recall. The sooner you report it, the better the odds. Then report it as below.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.