To start off, I have provided some of the questions I ask myself, along with some pointers.
1. What is the problem they are trying to solve and what is their plan for solving that problem?
2. Is it a feasible goal that can be measured by short-term, mid-term and/or long-term milestones? Does another project exist with the same/similar goal of the ICO? How do they compare? What blockchain platform are they using? Does the product align well with the vision?
3. Has the project built a product? If they have not, then I advise you move on and ignore the fancy titles of the team. If the project has been built, how many repositories are complete? An empty or non-existent GitHub is often a red flag.
4. Lastly, what does their telegram/discord group look like? You should ask questions about their whitepaper, then, see how immediate and clear the responses are. A busy team that is constantly on social media and/or Telegram suggests that it is not a scam.
I know it’s really tough to come across a rating system that is not influenced by ICO makers, advisors, or bribes. If you would like to access an accurate and precise cryptocurrency ICO ratings website, I recommend Cointelligence’s: https://www.cointelligence.com/content/ico_list/