A ProofScore is a 0-100 research heuristic assembled from up to 17 public-data checks across business, web, legal, government, and licensing sources. It is not a guarantee of legitimacy - it is a structured summary of what public records say about a business right now. See the current methodology and source directory for coverage limits.
Core Data Sources
- State Registration (28 pts) - Is the entity active? Type verified? Officers listed? This is weighted heaviest because it comes straight from the Secretary of State's registration records, which the SBA identifies as the baseline requirement for most business structures.
- Business Age (17 pts) - Years in operation based on formation date or domain age when formation data is unavailable.
- Domain History (11 pts) - WHOIS/RDAP registration age, compared against the business's claimed history.
- Google Business Profile (17 pts) - Rating, review volume, and profile presence.
- BBB (11 pts) - Grade and accreditation status.
- Website (11 pts) - SSL, contact page, privacy policy, and physical-address signals.
- Social Media (5 pts) - Website-linked profile presence.
- Legal / Government Checks - OFAC sanctions, federal court dockets, SAM.gov, USPTO, FMCSA, attorney general coverage, and licensing where applicable.
Red Flag Deductions
Confirmed risk conditions and certain corroborated combinations can reduce a score. Missing, unavailable, pending, and not-applicable sources should not be treated as the same result - a source that could not be checked is different from a source that returned a negative finding.
What the Score Means
- 80-100 - High Trust: Strong signals across the scored categories.
- 60-79 - Moderate Trust: Mostly positive with gaps worth reviewing.
- 40-59 - Low Trust: Mixed signals - proceed carefully.
- 0-39 - Caution: Multiple red flags or weak signals detected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a good ProofScore?
A score of 80 or above reflects strong signals across most scored categories - active registration, an aged domain, and a solid BBB/Google presence. A score below 40 means multiple categories returned weak or negative signals and warrants caution before proceeding.
Can a real business have a low ProofScore?
Yes. New businesses, sole proprietors without state filing requirements, and companies with limited web presence can score lower even when they are legitimate. A low score means more manual verification is warranted, not that fraud is confirmed.
How often is a ProofScore updated?
Report data is refreshed on request and carries a freshness timestamp so you can see exactly when each source was last checked. See the source directory for current coverage.
Where can I run a ProofScore check?
Search any U.S. business by name at ProofReports to see its current ProofScore, a free summary, and the full source-level breakdown behind the number.
Always open the source-level evidence and verify important findings with the linked official registry before making a consequential decision.
Sources
- Secretary of State's registration records — U.S. Small Business Administration
Next step
Checking a specific company?
Search it by name or website for a free preview of what public records, reputation, web presence, and licensing show. No account required.