How to Spot Suspicious Business Websites: A Professional's Guide

As someone who works in web hosting and SEO, I'm often asked: "How do you know if a website is legitimate?" Here's the checklist I use—and you can too.

Why This Matters

With AI making it easier than ever to create professional-looking websites in minutes, appearances can be deceiving. A sleek design doesn't mean a trustworthy business. I'm writing this because I've recently encountered several operations that looked legitimate on the surface but had concerning signs underneath.
This isn't about calling anyone out-it's about giving you tools to protect yourself.

The Red Flags Checklist

Red Flag #1: Missing or Hidden WHOIS Data

What is WHOIS?
Every domain registration includes public information about who owns it, when it was registered, and when it expires. Even when privacy protection is used, you should still see:
  • Registrar name
  • Registration date
  • Expiration date
  • Name servers
    • The Red Flag:
    If a WHOIS lookup returns absolutely nothing -no registrar, no dates, no information at all—that's extremely unusual. In 15+ years of web hosting, I've never seen a legitimate established business with completely blank WHOIS data.
    How to Check:
  • Go to WHOIS.com or ICANN WHOIS
  • Enter the website domain
  • Look at what comes back

    • Try this challenge: Find a legitimate, established business website that returns ZERO WHOIS information. It's nearly impossible.

    Red Flag #2: Multiple Phone Numbers

    The Red Flag: If you find 3-4 different phone numbers across:
  • The website footer
  • Contact page
  • Facebook page
  • Google Business listing
  • Email signatures

    • ...that's concerning. Legitimate businesses have consistent contact information.

    Why it matters:
    Multiple numbers can indicate:
  • Lack of professional infrastructure
  • Intentional confusion to avoid accountability
  • Different "affiliates" operating under one brand without coordination
  • Disposable numbers that can be abandoned

    • Red Flag #3: The "Affiliate Army" Model

    The Red Flag:
    Multiple Facebook pages/profiles, all appearing to represent the same company, but run by different individuals. You'll notice:
  • Similar branding but slightly different names
  • Different contact information on each page
  • Individual people's photos as page profile pictures
  • Unclear which page is "official"

    • Why it matters:
    While affiliate marketing is legitimate, this distributed approach makes it impossible to:
  • Know who you're actually doing business with
  • Find consistent reviews
  • Hold anyone accountable if something goes wrong
  • Distinguish the real company from impersonators

    • Red Flag #4: Review Desert

    The Red Flag:
  • Large social media following (10K, 30K, 50K followers)
  • BUT: Zero reviews on the main page
  • BUT: Only reviews from people connected to the "affiliates"
  • BUT: No Google reviews, or very few
  • BUT: No BBB reviews despite claiming years in business

    • Why it matters:
    Followers can be bought. Reviews from genuine customers cannot. A legitimate business with 30K followers and years of operation should have hundreds of organic reviews.
    What to check:
  • Google Reviews (specific and detailed?)
  • BBB page (complaints AND how they were resolved?)
  • Trustpilot, Yelp, industry-specific review sites
  • Facebook reviews from profiles with history and friends

    • Red Flag #5: AI-Generated or Template Website

    The Red Flag:
    Generic stock photos throughout
  • Text that sounds overly formal or oddly phrased
  • Spelling/grammar that's almost too perfect
  • No specific details about actual projects, team, or location
  • Sections that repeat similar information in different words
  • "30 years of experience" but website is brand new

    • Why it matters:
    AI can create a convincing website in 30 minutes. But AI can't create:
  • Real project photos
  • Specific case studies
  • Authentic team bios
  • Years of archived content

    • Check the Wayback Machine: archive.org/web

    Enter the domain and see how long the site has really existed.

    Red Flag #6: Shopify + High-Value Items

    Important Note: Shopify itself is legitimate and used by many real businesses.
    The Red Flag:
    When Shopify is used for high-value items (vehicles, heavy equipment, containers, real estate) WITHOUT:
  • Clear company registration information
  • Physical location you can verify
  • Established web presence beyond the Shopify store
  • Third-party verification (industry associations, certifications)

    • Why it matters:
    Shopify stores are:
  • Easy to set up in hours
  • Easy to abandon quickly
  • Designed for e-commerce, not complex B2B transactions
  • Often use third-party payment processors that add another layer of distance

    • For high-value purchases, you want a company with infrastructure, not just a storefront.

    Red Flag #7: Free Email Addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail)

    The Red Flag:
    The business contact email is:
  • contact@gmail.com
  • sales@yahoo.com
  • info@hotmail.com
  • ...instead of contact@theirbusiness.com

    • Why it matters:
    Professional email using your domain name costs roughly $6/month through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. If a company claiming:
  • Years of experience
  • Significant revenue
  • Professional operations
  • National or international reach

    • ...won't invest $6/month in a branded email address, that's a major warning sign.

    What it signals:
  • No real investment in infrastructure
  • Account can be abandoned instantly with no trace
  • Harder to verify business legitimacy
  • Often indicates very new or temporary operation

    • The Exception:
    Brand new businesses (under 1-2 years) with tight budgets—especially crafters, makers, or local service providers—might use Gmail initially while getting established. That's understandable when starting out.
    When it becomes a red flag:
  • Business claims years of experience (5+, 10+, 30+ years)
  • Operates at scale (national reach, multiple locations/affiliates)
  • Sells high-value items (vehicles, equipment, containers, real estate)
  • Has revenue that should easily support $6/month for email

    • Note on cost: Many domain registrars and hosting providers include email FREE or very cheap with domain registration (Namecheap, cPanel hosting, Zoho free tier). For businesses already paying for hosting, there's often no additional cost for professional email.
    Red flag intensifies when:
    The website domain exists but they're STILL using Gmail instead of their own domain email. This means they own the domain but actively choose not to connect professional email—which raises questions about permanence and accountability.

    Red Flag #8: Engagement Group Farming

    The Red Flag:
    Brand new business pages that immediately:
  • Join dozens of "mutual support" or "follow for follow" groups
  • Follow hundreds of accounts hoping for follow-backs
  • Have sudden bursts of followers but no engagement
  • Post generic motivational content unrelated to their "business"

    • Why it matters:
    This is a social media growth hack to create artificial legitimacy. Real businesses build followers through:
  • Consistent, valuable content
  • Customer referrals
  • Paid advertising with transparent branding
  • Organic growth over time

    • What Legitimate Businesses Look Like

    For comparison, here's what you SHOULD see:
    WHOIS Data: Even if privacy-protected, shows registrar, dates, and technical details
    Consistent Contact: Same phone, same address, same email across all platforms
    Clear Ownership: Obvious who runs the company, clear brand identity
    Review History: Mix of positive and negative reviews with responses showing accountability
    Real Content: Specific projects, real team photos, authentic history
    Professional Platform: Appropriate tools for their industry
    Organic Growth: Steady follower growth, genuine engagement over time

    What To Do If You Spot These Red Flags

    Don't engage immediately. Instead:

    1. Document what you found (screenshots, notes)

    2. Do additional research:

  • Search "[company name] + scam" or "+ reviews"
  • Check BBB, state business registrations
  • Look for news articles or warnings

    • 3. Trust your gut - if it feels wrong, walk away
    4. Report if appropriate:
  • Facebook: Report page for suspicious activity
  • FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
  • State Attorney General consumer protection division

    • You don't need proof of fraud to report suspicious patterns. Authorities investigate and determine if it's fraud—your job is just to flag what looks wrong.

    Why I'm Sharing This

    I'm not trying to be negative or "cause trouble." I work in this industry, and I see how easy it is for convincing-looking operations to deceive people. The tools I've shared here are the same ones I use professionally to evaluate potential clients, partners, and vendors.

    You don't have to be a web expert to protect yourself

    -you just need to know what to look for.

    If this helps even one person avoid a bad situation, it's worth sharing.

    Tools to Bookmark

  • WHOIS Lookup: whois.com | lookup.icann.org
  • Website History: archive.org/web
  • Business Verification: bbb.org
  • Scam Reports: reportfraud.ftc.gov
    • Have you encountered suspicious websites? What red flags did you notice? Share your experiences in the comments - helping others learn keeps everyone safer.