How to identify fake companies online

A cheap hoodie or fancy party dress may look like a bargain. But if you don’t recognize the company, look up the domain.

A domain is the name of the website, like: ThisIsADomain.com.

Domains are purchased from various online companies, and they are hosted by other companies. They have an IP address, which is a series of numbers that indicate a specific server.

Go to: https://whois.domaintools.com and type in the domain name. You will get a full internet profile of the business.

Look for these hints:

1. IP history. – If you see that thousands of IP changes on one domain, beware. It may be normal for a legitimate business to have dozens or even hundreds IP addresses over a decade. But it isn’t normal to have thousands over a year.

2. The domain was created within the past year, and it expires in a year. – Legitimate businesses will probably have an old creation date or at least a long-term expiration date. Legitimate businesses protect themselves by buying the domain for decades.

3. The registry is private. – Some legitimate businesses have private registrars. But legitimate businesses are not usually completely anonymous. You should see a legitimate address for information technology at a minimum. Scam businesses often register with a proxy company, but not all proxy registrations are frauds.

4. IP location is Shopify. – Many completely legitimate businesses have a Shopify address, but according to Time, Shopify has been much abused by scammers.

5. Review the “About Us” section.  – That should have a company address, but likely won’t. If it is a short sentence, google it. If you find many websites using the same phrasing, beware.