How to Verify a Business Before You Wire Money or Sign Anything

Most business fraud relies on a single assumption: that you won't check.

A vendor poses as an established firm with a clean-looking website. A contractor lists credentials they don't hold. A "partner" incorporates in a state with minimal requirements, stands up a website, and starts soliciting contracts. From the outside, it looks legitimate — because you're only looking at the outside.

Here's what checking actually looks like.

Check the State Registry First

Every legitimate business entity is registered somewhere. In the United States, that means a state Secretary of State filing. Most states offer free online lookup of registered entities.

You're looking for: whether the business is in good standing or has been dissolved, the registered agent and address, filing history, and officer names. A business claiming to be a Delaware LLC that doesn't appear in the Delaware Division of Corporations database is not a Delaware LLC.

Check the Domain Age

A professional-looking website tells you nothing. Domain registration age tells you something.

A business claiming to have been established in 2018 with a domain registered three months ago is worth a harder look. Domain history also shows previous ownership and content — useful for spotting domains that were legitimate businesses before being sold and repurposed for a new operation.

Look for Litigation History

Public court records are searchable in most jurisdictions. A contractor with a pattern of small claims judgments. A firm with pending civil suits from former clients. A vendor whose principal appears in fraud cases in another state. This research doesn't require a legal team — it requires knowing where to look.

Verify the People, Not Just the Entity

The business might be registered and the website might look fine. But who's actually running it? Officers listed in state filings, LinkedIn history, professional license verification through state boards — these checks answer whether the person behind the entity is who they say they are.

The Moment That Matters

All of this matters before you sign or send money. A contract signed with a fraudulent entity is recoverable only through litigation, which costs more than the original transaction in most cases. Wire transfers are not reversed.

near0's business check runs these lookups in a single report — registry status, domain history, litigation signals, and entity verification. It costs less than an hour of any attorney's time.

If someone is asking you to commit money or resources, verify them first.

near0 runs background checks, business verification, and site security audits. One-time payment, no account required.