5 ways to verify an online business is legitimate

The internet has made it very easy to interact with multiple businesses for multiple purposes. But the downside is the cybercrime and the criminals that can hack our devices and can steal our information.

Fortunately we have some methods through which we can identify if the online business is legitimate or not. Check the URL First, make sure you have the correct web address. If you find yourself on the wrong website, do a web search for the company, product, or service you’re looking for. • Look for signs of a secure website Look for a URL that begins with “https:”—the “s” stands for “secure.” • A padlock or unbroken key (depending on your browser) in the browser’s address bar while viewing a website is also a good indicator of a site’s security. • Check your browser’s security settings. • You can also access your browser’s settings to ensure that it alerts you to suspicious or fake websites. Look closely at the content If the site's content is well-written and free of grammar and spelling errors, it is more likely to be a legitimate site.

​ If the site's content is poorly written and full of grammar and spelling errors, it is less likely to be a legitimate site.

If the site provides a physical address, email address, and/or phone number it is more likely to be a legitimate site. If the site does not provide any contact information, it is less likely to be a legitimate site. Find out who owns the web domain To find out who owns a web domain, you can use a WHOIS search. A WHOIS search will show you the registrant (owner) of a domain name, as well as their contact information. This can be useful if you're trying to figure out if a website is legitimate, or if you're trying to contact the owner of a website. To do a WHOIS search, you can go to a WHOIS search site like Whois.net or Whoisology.com. Check for reviews You can also check the reviews of a website in order to know if the site is legit or not. for this a good place to start is the Better Business Bureau's website. You can search for the website in question and see if there are any complaints or reviews. Another good place to look is SiteJabber, which has reviews of all types of websites. Check for a privacy policy Some companies will post a privacy policy on their website. This helps you learn how your information will be used and helps you hold the company accountable for their actions. You can easily search the web for the company’s privacy policy. If you can’t find it, you may want to choose another company to work with..