Source-backed guides for checking registrations, licenses, reviews, and the warning signs that matter before money changes hands.
Avoid common contractor scams with a sourced checklist: license lookups, insurance proof, and down-payment limits before you sign or pay a deposit.
April 1, 2026 · 3 min
Free website checkers grade the website, not the business. Learn what domain age and SSL checks structurally miss, and how to verify the company behind the site.
August 21, 2026 · 7 min
Run a free background check on any business with this step-by-step source order: state registration, licensing, BBB, court records, WHOIS, and news search.
July 16, 2026 · 8 min
Learn how to verify Case Study: When a Vendor's Identity Drifts by State using public records and a 17-check ProofScore before you hire or pay.
The five buying decisions - hire, deposit, wire, subscribe, partner - where a quick verification search changes the outcome, and an honest look at what a report can't tell you.
What a sketchy invoice or contract actually looks like on the page - missing entity names, absent license numbers, pay-to-personal-account requests, and blank change-order terms - separated from the normal paperwork quirks that don't mean anything.
Dealer fees baked into solar loans, lease escalators, and what happens to your warranty if the installer folds - annotated for what the numbers mean.
Star ratings capture how customers felt about their experience. A verification score checks whether the business legally and operationally exists. Neither replaces the other.
Locksmith, garage door, and towing listings on Google Maps get hijacked or faked at higher rates than most categories. How to cross-check before calling.
Learn how to verify Washington Contractor Verification: L&I Lookup Guide using public records and a 17-check ProofScore before you hire or pay.
A composite case of a contractor with a 4.9-star profile and a revoked business registration - which signal should actually win, and why.
A practical checklist for helping parents or elderly relatives vet unsolicited phone and door-to-door contractors - the specific tactics to recognize and the steps to take before any money changes hands.
What public records actually exist for auto repair shops - state licensing where it applies, estimate-authorization law, and storage-fee hostage patterns.
Many marketplace and social-media sellers have no registered legal entity at all. Why that matters for payment risk, and how to check before you pay.
Learn how to verify Michigan Contractor License Check (LARA Guide) using public records and a 17-check ProofScore before you hire or pay. Backed by 17