How to Verify a Legitimate Website
When you're performing daily tasks online and browsing various websites, you may not always think to investigate as to whether the website is legitimate. As long as you're just reading content, it may not be a huge issue, but before you make a purchase with a website that you're not familiar with, it's best to do a quick check. You can verify that a website is legitimate by checking the InterNIC network information website.
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Instructions
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Visit the InterNIC database. InterNIC is the "Network Information Center" of the Internet. It maintains records on online websites and allows individuals to file complaints against website registrars (the companies that provide services to website owners).
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Search for the website URL on the InterNIC whois database (see Resources) to find information about the owner, get a business address and phone number and learn how long the website has been in operation. Call the number to see if it's a legitimate company. Search for the official business name and address on a search engine to look for more details, such as a complaint from another customer regarding the company. If it's a brand-new website, you may want to proceed with caution before purchasing products or services from the company.
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Take note of the name of the registrar as well, then navigate to the accredited registrar directory (see Resources). This directory lists registrars who are ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) approved. If, for some reason, the website's registering company is not on the accredited registrar listing, that's a red flag. The registrar has to be ICANN accredited in order for an individual to file a complaint with ICANN.
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Perform a "URL" search on the Better Business Bureau's website as an additional check to verify that a website is legitimate (see Resources). Click the "Phone, URL, Email" tab and type in the website's URL address to learn if there have been complaints against the website.
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