How to check a company or person is genuine before you pay

Start with the register

Start with the free Companies House search. It can show a company’s registered address, incorporation date, officers, filings, and insolvency information. Registration is a starting point for checking a business; it does not establish that the person contacting you represents it or that a proposed transaction is safe.

• Does the company exist under that exact name? Fraudsters register names a letter away from a real business, or trade under a name that matches no company at all. Compare the name on the invoice, the website, and the bank account with the register.
• When was it incorporated? A company formed a few months ago that describes itself as established, or that is asking for a large payment in advance, deserves more questions.
• Who are the officers and the people with significant control? The register names the directors and the beneficial owners. Search each name for other companies, particularly dissolved ones, and for disqualifications.
• Are the accounts and confirmation statement up to date? Overdue filings, a proposal to strike the company off, or a string of dissolved companies behind the same director are all visible on the record.
• Does the registered office match anything? A registered office at a formation agent’s address is normal. A trading address that does not appear anywhere on the record, or that turns out to be a virtual office when the business claims premises, is worth a question.

Sole traders and ordinary partnerships do not have the same Companies House record as limited companies. Check the legal form before treating an absent company record as a warning; limited liability partnerships do appear on the register.

Checks for specific kinds of business

• Financial services, investments, and credit. Use the FCA’s firm-checking guidance to check the permissions required for the product or service. Match the contact details as well as the name: a fraudster can impersonate an authorised firm. Authorisation does not remove investment risk.
• Building and trades. Membership of a competent-person scheme or a trade body can be checked directly with the scheme. Ask for the membership number and look it up rather than accepting a logo on a van.
• Solicitors, accountants, and other professionals. Check the relevant regulator or professional body for the qualification and jurisdiction claimed. Do not assume that every professional title has the same legal protection or register.
• Charities. Use the official charity-register routes. England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have separate registers; some charities are exempt from registration.
• VAT. Use HMRC’s UK VAT-number check to compare the registered name and address with the invoice. The service needs a VAT number; it cannot search by business name.

Checking the person

Where you are dealing with an individual, or with the person behind a small company, look at whether the person as presented actually exists.

• Photographs. A reverse image search may show that a profile photograph appears elsewhere under another name. A match needs context, and no match does not prove that the person is genuine.
• Digital history. Look for a consistent history across independent sources. A sparse or recent profile deserves further checking, but people can legitimately have little public presence, and established accounts can be compromised.
• Consistency. Does the name on the email match the name on the invoice, the bank account, and the register? An unexplained change of payee or bank details needs independent confirmation before payment.
• Contact details. Ring the number on the company’s own website, found independently rather than taken from the email, and ask for the person. Email addresses at a free provider for what is presented as an established business are a signal.

Checking the property, vehicle, or goods

• Property. HM Land Registry’s property search covers registered land in England and Wales. A title register can help check ownership; an agent or representative may legitimately act for the owner, so check their authority too. Other UK jurisdictions use separate registers.
• Vehicles. Start with the official MOT-history service. A commercial vehicle-history check may add finance or write-off information; read its coverage and limitations before paying.
• Domain names. Domain-registration information can help assess a website’s history, though details may be unavailable or redacted. A recently registered domain is a reason to check a claim of long trading history, not proof of fraud.

The warning signs that should stop a payment

These are reasons to pause and verify independently, especially in combination. None proves fraud on its own; legitimate small businesses can have a limited online presence or use a mobile number.

• Pressure to pay quickly, or a price that is only available today
• A request to pay by bank transfer to an account whose name does not match the business
• A change of bank details by email, which should always be confirmed by phone on a number you already hold
• Returns that are guaranteed, or that exceed what any regulated investment offers
• Reluctance to meet, to take a call, or to provide a registered address
• A business whose only presence is a website and a mobile number
• Reviews that are all recent, all glowing, and written in the same voice
• Documents, contracts, or certificates with errors that a genuine issuer would not make

If you have already paid, contact your bank promptly using a number you trust. Ask what recovery or reimbursement options apply to your payment; a recovery is not guaranteed. The reporting routes below are separate from notifying your bank.

When to instruct due diligence

The checks above are a starting point for routine transactions, not a guarantee. A formal due diligence report may be useful where the financial or reputational exposure justifies deeper verification: a business acquisition, significant supplier contract, investment, or overseas counterparty.

An agreed report can examine control and ownership, available litigation and insolvency records, adverse media, relevant sanctions exposure, and the evidence for claimed assets or trading history. Coverage and access vary by jurisdiction. Reports should identify gaps rather than imply that every asset or connection can be established. Our corporate due diligence page explains the scope and fee approach.

For an individual rather than a company, such as a new business partner, a prospective tenant of a high-value property, or someone about to be given access to family money, the same work is done on the person, within the limits of the data protection legislation and with a lawful basis recorded for it.

If you have already been defrauded

Contact your bank first. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, report fraud through Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101. Preserve the emails, invoices, payment details, and any record you already have of the website. Where the sum justifies it, an investigation may help identify who was involved or locate relevant assets; a solicitor can advise on recovery and any urgent court application. Our workplace and fraud investigation page covers that work; the first conversation is free and we will say whether recovery is realistic.

This is general guidance within the scope identified above. It is not legal advice and does not take account of your circumstances. Before a legal, employment, or court-related decision, seek advice from a solicitor in the relevant jurisdiction. Harwick provides investigative services; legal advice is a separate professional service.

Related services