 my 2 cents worth
Of course there are lots of thieves out there. It is too easy to get a site to look like another one. Tool bar menu "View" "page source" right click "select all" "copy" and you have the html code for the page to do with as you will. So, yes, the sites LOOK real.
Very good point about checking certificates but not always foolproof or accurate as many times a site certificate will be from the host provider and not the website itself and that will cause a "suspicious" alert because the info does not match.
Use Firefox and keep an eye on the status bar at the bottom any time you hover over a hyperlink - see if the address shown has ANYTHING to do with where they say it takes you.
caveat emptor |