TÜV Süd „s@fer shopping“
Caution: discontinued in 2021. An s@fer-shopping seal shown today is a warning sign.
This seal has not been awarded since March 2021. There is no longer an active certification body – a „TÜV Süd „s@fer shopping““ seal still displayed today is therefore not proof of trust but a warning sign: it is outdated or was copied without authorization.
What this seal checks
three-stage audit procedure (historical)
- Manual review of the online presence
- Test purchases in the shop
- Audit of the behind-the-scenes processes at the operator (on-site audit)
- Order and payment handling, data protection and data security
- As the only provider in the Warentest comparison, technical security (including encryption) was additionally audited
The service was discontinued by TÜV Süd in March 2021. There is no longer an active auditing body that could award or renew the seal; the former provider domain safer-shopping.de is no longer reachable.
How to check whether it's genuine
- 1Since the programme has been discontinued, the seal can no longer be validly verified.
- 2If a current shop displays this seal, treat it as a warning sign – it is outdated or copied without authorisation.
A real certificate or just an image?
A genuine seal leads, on click, to a valid certificate that names exactly this shop. A fake, by contrast, is just a logo – with no working proof.
No active audit database exists any longer. A successor seal from TÜV Süd or TÜV Rheinland is not currently known.
Because the programme no longer exists since March 2021, any current use of the “s@fer shopping” logo is automatically outdated or fraudulent.
Quick check for any seal
These four points apply 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.
Does a shop carry this seal – rightfully?
Our fake-shop check automatically detects seals without a valid certificate link – together with over 30 more trust signals.
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Seal explainedFakeshop 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.