Critical risk detected
Fake search engine promoted by browser hijackers that redirects Google searches and monetizes activity. Our security stack flagged multiple threat indicators on this website. Don't enter personal information, deposit money, or download files.
Is search1.me legit or a scam?
Fake search engine promoted by browser hijackers that redirects Google searches and monetizes activity.
These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.
Analysis Summary
MT Intelligence
The page presents itself as a minimal custom search engine using Google branding, yet our research shows it is widely documented as a hijacker component. Multiple removal guides describe how it changes browser settings to capture searches for profit. The domain is six years old but carries a low trust score from independent reviewers and zero positive mentions. Clean antivirus results do not outweigh the consistent reports of unwanted redirects from real users. No legitimate business registration or contact details exist to support normal operation.
Website Preview
Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site.
Visual Screenshot Analysis
We capture a fresh screenshot of the live page and ask a vision model to look for scam visual patterns — fake trust badges, countdown timers, overlay pop-ups, and visual clones of legitimate brands.
Visual red flags detected in the screenshot
Minimal but fully rendered custom search page using Google branding. No scam indicators visible.
Web Research Findings
Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for search1.me, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.
- search1.me described as fake search engine promoted by browser hijackers (e.g., Better Search) on pcrisk.com and multiple removal guides.
- Gridinsoft assigns 20/100 trust score and classifies as 'Adware distributor' with 2 blacklist detections.
- Domain registered June 9, 2020 (approx. 6 years old) via Tucows Domains Inc.; expires June 9, 2026.
- Multiple Reddit threads report unwanted redirects from Google searches to search1.me.
- Associated with browser setting changes (homepage, search engine) for monetization per 2-spyware.com and malwaretips.com.
- Hosted on AWS (IP 35.82.x.x); no legitimate business or positive user reviews identified.
- No evidence of typosquatting famous brands (e.g., not mimicking PayPal, Roblox, etc.).
- pcrisk.comopen
"Search1.me is the address of a fake search engine. Typically, such web searchers are promoted by PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications) classified as browser hijackers."
- gridinsoft.comopen
"Search1.me Review: Adware distributor, Trust Score 20/100"
- 2-spyware.comopen
"Search1.me adds a fake search engine and changes the homepage to monetize user activity."
- reddit.comopen
"I have realised that my Google has been infected with this 'search1.me' virus, and redirects all my searches to 'custom search Google'."
Our research found four scam-related mentions across removal guides and forums. pcrisk.com, gridinsoft.com, and 2-spyware.com all identify it as a fake search engine distributed by hijackers that monetizes user activity. Reddit threads report unwanted redirects replacing Google searches. No positive reviews or business registrations were located.
Antivirus Engines
Security Scans
Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.
Contact Verification
We fetched the page and looked for real-world contact details. Legitimate businesses almost always publish an email on their own domain, a phone number, and a postal address. Scam shops usually don't.
- No contact email found anywhere on the page.
- No phone number listed on the page.
- No postal address visible on the page.
Domain & Encryption
Redirect Chain
- 1301http://search1.me/
- 2200https://search1.me/
Server Reputation
Avoid this site
Our automated review flagged enough risk that you should treat this site as unverified.
- Do not interact with search1.me
Do not enter credentials, deposit money, download files, or install browser extensions from this site.
- Verify the business through independent channels
Check the company's social profiles, registry records, and search for recent news or reviews that are not hosted on the site itself.
- Never use irreversible payment methods
Crypto, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash apps offer zero buyer protection. Use a credit card or PayPal if you must pay.
- OpenShare your experience
If you have additional context, drop a comment below or post on the MalwareTips forum.
Reputation Sources
How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.
Referenced Domains
Outbound domains this page links to or loads resources from. Each links to its own security scan.
Safety FAQ
Common questions about this site, answered from the scan data on this page. These are auto-generated — not hand-written — so they always match the underlying report.
- Our automated security review flags search1.me as dangerous. Multiple threat indicators were detected — treat the site as a scam until proven otherwise.
- No — search1.me scored 25/100 on our trust scale. We detected active threat indicators, so we recommend avoiding the site entirely.
- Yes. search1.me presents a valid TLSv1.2 certificate issued by Amazon · Amazon RSA 2048 M04, expiring in 57 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
- No. All 92 antivirus engines in our malware network report search1.me as clean.
- No. search1.me is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
- search1.me resolves to an IP operated by Amazon.com, Inc. in US (usage type: Data Center/Web Hosting/Transit). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.
- We cache results for 24 hours. Signed-in MalwareTips members can trigger a manual rescan at any time using the "Rescan" button on the report page, which re-runs every check from scratch and refreshes this page.
User reviews & comments(0)
Share your experience — "Lost $200 on a fake checkout" is more useful than "Scam". Your review helps others avoid traps.