Trust seals on online shops – real or fake?
A seal builds trust – which is exactly why fraudsters copy the well-known logos as a mere image. Here you can learn who awards common seals and how to verify a shop with the seal provider.
Unsure about a specific shop? Use the Fake-Shop-Check – it automatically detects seals without a valid certificate link.
- Click leads to the certificate
- names exactly this shop
- in the official list
- just an image, no link
- no reference to the shop
- missing from the list
What makes a trustworthy seal?
A meaningful trust seal requires that an independent body has actually vetted the shop – for compliance with legal requirements and for usability standards (following the criteria of the Initiative D21, which the consumer advice centre also refers to). What matters is not the logo itself, but the assessment behind it – and whether you can verify it.
The most important trust seals at a glance
Click on a seal for the full explanation: who is behind it, what is checked and how to verify it.
DE / EUActiveTrusted Shops
Shop certification
The best-known European shop seal – the only one with its own buyer protection.
Seal explained
DEActiveEHI „Geprüfter Online-Shop“
Shop certification
The first German online-shop seal – with the strictest catalogue of legal texts.
Seal explained
DEDiscontinuedTÜV Süd „s@fer shopping“
Shop certification
Caution: discontinued in 2021. An s@fer-shopping seal shown today is a warning sign.
Seal explainedHändlerbund „Käufersiegel“
Shop certification
A legally focused seal – audited by lawyers specialising in online law.
Seal explainedips – Datenschutz-Siegel
Data protection certification
Not a shop seal but a data-protection seal – officially GDPR-accredited since 2025.
Seal explained
ATActiveÖsterreichisches E-Commerce-Gütezeichen
Shop certification
Austria’s official quality mark – backed by the WKO, the Chamber of Labour and a federal ministry.
Seal explained
CHActiveSwiss Online Garantie
Shop certification
A Swiss seal based on a binding, audited catalogue of criteria.
Seal explainedHow to verify a shop seal
These four steps apply to every seal – regardless of the provider.
Click on the seal
A genuine seal is always linked and leads to a certificate page at the provider. If the logo is just an image and not clickable, the most important proof is missing.
The certificate must name this shop
The destination page must explicitly show the shop you came from – with the matching domain. A generic “valid” with no reference to the specific shop is not enough.
Look it up in the official list
Every reputable provider keeps a public, searchable list of certified shops. If the shop is missing there even though it displays the seal, that is a clear warning sign.
Check the status and date
Check the certificate status (valid / revoked) and the date. Expired or revoked certificates do not count – nor do seals from programmes that no longer exist.
Genuine seal vs. fake – the direct comparison
The same four check points side by side: a genuine seal passes them all – a fake fails at least one.
Caution: invented and copied seals
Not every trustworthy-looking logo is backed by a real audit. Fake shops copy well-known seals as a plain image or invent their own official-sounding graphics. These marks carry no weight:
- Self-invented labels such as “Verified Shop”, “100% Secure”, “Trust Guard” or “Certified Secure” without any auditing organisation
- Recreated padlock, checkmark or shield icons that cannot be clicked
- Copied Trusted Shops, TÜV or payment logos (Visa, Mastercard) as a mere image file
- “Secure Payment” or SSL graphics that are pure decoration and lead to no certificate
Such pseudo-seals almost always appear alongside further warning signs: advance payment (bank transfer) as the only payment method, unrealistically low prices, an incomplete imprint and a very young or hijacked domain.
A seal is an indicator – not a guarantee
- Trust seals are paid, commercial services, not government inspection marks. A test by Stiftung Warentest showed that not every provider detects all of a shop’s shortcomings.
- Conversely, a missing seal says little – many reputable small retailers simply avoid the fee of several hundred to thousand euros per year.
- Use a seal as one of several building blocks: together with the imprint, payment methods, prices and reviews, a reliable picture emerges.
A shop shows a seal – but is it real?
The free fake-shop check reviews available seal signals alongside other shop evidence and shows missing data.
Check a shop nowFrequently asked questions
A genuine seal is always clickable and leads to a certificate that names exactly this shop. If the seal is just an image without a link, or leads to some arbitrary page, it is very likely fake.
No. Trust seals are paid, commercial services – many reputable small retailers do without them. A missing seal is no proof of fraud, and a present one is no guarantee.
No. TÜV Süd discontinued this seal in March 2021. A s@fer-shopping seal still shown today is therefore a warning sign.
Reputable ones include Trusted Shops, EHI Geprüfter Online-Shop, the ips data-protection seal and – while it was active – TÜV Süd s@fer shopping. In Austria the E-Commerce-Gütezeichen, in Switzerland the Swiss Online Garantie.
Do you run a shop yourself?
Our live seal provides a verification link for your domain. Always check status and validity on the certificate page.
Fakeshop AI has no business relationship with the seal providers mentioned here and is neither authorised nor commissioned by them. This overview is independent, editorial consumer information. All brand names, seal names and logos belong to their respective owners and are shown only for explanation and recognition. Information is provided to the best of our knowledge and without guarantee – the respective provider is always authoritative.