Service
Verify a Company Before You Send Money
Independent research into whether a company appears to exist, who is publicly behind it, and whether what you have been told matches the public record.
Source verification — illustrative
- Public corporate registryCorroborated
- Archived web contentCorroborated
- Public social profilePartially consistent
- Claimed employer websiteNot corroborated
The problem this service solves
Most international transactions begin with a website, an invoice and an email signature. None of those establish that the company exists, that the people you are dealing with are connected to it, or that the bank details belong to the same entity named in the contract.
Company verification checks the claim against public record: registration, directors, address consistency, domain and website history, related entities and, where publicly available, sanctions, insolvency or litigation information.
The result is a short, decision-focused report. It states what is confirmed, what is unconfirmed, and which inconsistencies deserve attention before money moves.
When clients use this service
- A first advance payment to an unfamiliar overseas supplier
- A new customer or distributor you cannot verify locally
- An agency, broker or intermediary introduced by a third party
- Bank details that do not match the company name on the invoice
- A supplier whose website is newer than the company history claimed
- Any transaction large enough that being wrong would matter
Step one
What information you can provide
Better starting information usually means a broader and faster investigation, but a case can often begin with very little.
- Company name as presented to you
- Country of claimed registration
- Registration or tax number if provided
- Website and email domains used
- Names of the individuals you are dealing with
- Invoices, contracts or certificates received
- Bank or payment details provided to you
Research scope
What may be researched
Research is limited to lawful, publicly available information and is confirmed with you before work begins.
- Whether the company appears to exist in the relevant public register
- Public registration information and current status
- Directors, officers and publicly recorded ownership
- Consistency of registered, trading and stated addresses
- Domain registration and website history, including archives
- Website content analysis, including reused or copied material
- Related and connected entities on public record
- Public sanctions and watchlist information where available
- Public insolvency information where available
- Reputation indicators and obvious inconsistencies
Deliverable
What you receive
Every case ends in a written report you can read, keep and act on.
- A verification summary with a clear position on each claim
- Public registration findings and current status
- Directors and publicly visible connections
- Domain, website and digital history findings
- Inconsistencies between the presentation and the record
- Sources reviewed, confidence assessment and conclusion
Pricing and turnaround
This service starts from $499. Price depends on the jurisdictions involved, how open the relevant registers are, whether translation is required, the number of connected entities examined, and urgency.
- What affects price
- Price depends on the jurisdictions involved, how open the relevant registers are, whether translation is required, the number of connected entities examined, and urgency.
- What affects turnaround
- Jurisdictions with open, current registers are quickest. Limited, offline or local-language registers extend the timeline. Multi-entity structures require additional research time.
- Honest limitations
- Legitimacy cannot be certified, only what public information supports. Register coverage, currency and detail vary significantly by country. No access to non-public financial records or restricted databases.
Frequently asked questions
They sent me a registration certificate. Isn't that enough?
Documents are easy to produce and easy to alter. Verification checks whether the registration exists as stated in the relevant public register, whether the details match, and whether the company presenting itself to you is the same entity named on the document.
Can you confirm the company is legitimate?
No investigator can certify legitimacy. What can be established is what public information supports: whether the entity exists, who is on record, how long it has existed, what its digital history shows and where the story does not line up.
How long does a company check take?
It depends on the jurisdiction. Some registers are open and current; others are limited, paywalled, offline or only available in the local language. The assessment tells you what is realistically obtainable before you commit.
We are mid-transaction and need this quickly.
Say so in your submission. Urgent scope can be assessed, and you will be told what can be completed in the time available rather than given an optimistic promise.
Continue reading
- Business Due DiligenceDeeper research for investment and partnership decisions.
- Verify Before You PayThe pre-payment verification framework.
- Verify a business partnerWhat to check before a deal.
- Guide: verify a company before paymentThe checks you can run yourself first.
- Example reportReport structure and depth.
- MethodologyHow sources are verified.
Submit your case for an initial assessment
Tell us what you already know and what you need to establish. You will receive an assessment of what can realistically be researched, along with scope and pricing, before any work begins.