Posted by Guest - How Do I Verify A Website Is Safe? : How do I verify a website URL is legit or safe website to buy from? I dont just trust any site I come across, but I'm looking for a way to find out if its a trusted website especially if ordering from or downloading software on that site. Also in the past I've read not to ever use a website in china or a website in russia, how do I know the website location?

John Says: Hi Guest :-) Its always good to check this! As you said I verify the website owner location always when I download software. If its not in America I typically avoid it, and definitely avoid china and russia as they are not policed and are full of hackers and virus writers, so put your security first always. The good thing is that its easy to research who owns the website and where their location is. Follow these steps. 1) Go to a domain registar that stores website information, so paste http://www.networksolutions.com in your browser. 2) Scroll down to the bottom and look for the link that says "Whois". Right now it shows "whois search" but they can change their page of course. Click the link. 3) Now you see a box where you can verify the website URL,  so type in the website you want to validate. Note that it shows you dont enter the http or www, so for example if you want to check yahoo you can type yahoo.com in the box and click the button. It then shows you many things to validate the website URL or website location. The most important thing I check is the Registrant Organization, as this tells you the name of a person or a company, so you should see Registrant Organization: Yahoo! Inc. It will also show you the Registrant Street address etc and you can they are located in CA in the U.S.  If this shows a location in the U.S. then thats good, you dont want it show China or Russia as the website location.   IMPORTANT! There is something very import to verify here. Website owners can also choose to hide their name and address information! If they do this, it will say something similiar to this below showing private or proxy. Registrant Name: Registration Private Registrant Organization: Domains By Proxy, LLC Registrant Street: DomainsByProxy.com This is a VERY BAD sign and you should avoid downloading software from a private website and you should never buy products on a website that is private! This is a key thing to always verify when checking a website!  Alot of websites may do this if they are a forum or basic site or for whatever reason people want to hide their names, and thats ok if they want to do that, but a site with software or selling items should NEVER do that. No reputable business would attempt to hide this unless they are up to no good, and I would assume its China or Russia if you see this. Very important that you dont get caught with this because you cant go by their address information if they have their name or oganization private and hidden as its not showing you the real location. The good thing is this stuff above is easy to validate! :)  Good luck

Guest Says: Thankyou john, very thorough explanation. I just checked on a website and it does show the domainsbyproxy.com  i wouldnt have known to avoid that, appreciate the info

Guest Says: although be aware the server can be located other places, but I agree it at least tells you who is registering it, thats critical as corrupt countries they get away with anything so nigeria, china, russia = avoid

Guest Says: point of interest owner of domainsbyproxy.com is in Arizona

Add your reply below ...

"BlurBorder" - Get the app Square any photo instantly. Creates blurry border effects. Also includes faded border effects. For Iphone, Ipod, and Ipad.