MARCH 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 95DigiCert), or the McAfee Secure certification (managed
by TrustedSite). In China, an ICP (Internet Content
Provider) license indicates that a site is registered with
the government and allowed to operate.
- Check the WHOIS information for website owners’
names and locations – see fave.co/2S11axT. As
defined by the ICANN (Internet Corporation for
AssignedNamesandNumbers)organization,
WHOISisnotanacronym.It literallymeans,“whois
responsiblefor a domain name or an IP address?”
Go to WHOIS and enter a URL in the search box,
then click the Lookup button. ICANN displays the
WHOISinformationaboutthatwebsite,unlessthe
siteis protected by a domain privacy service (also
called a proxy protection service).
Note the site creation date: Older sites that have
been around for a long time are usually reputable.
Finding fraudulent websites
We covered identifying the owners of websites in
anearlierarticle,andmuchofthatinformationalso
appliestofiguringoutwhethera siteis fraudulent
orotherwise sketchy:
- Verify the location information on the site – that is,
ensure that the phone number, address, email address,
and so on are all valid. This is easy enough to check
with an Internet search, or calling the phone number. - If you want to find out whether a website is suspect,
check the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Protection