In short: Wondering whether a company is legit or a scam? A missing office doesn't prove a scam, but it should make you look harder. Before any money moves, verify the company's registration, address, phone, people and payment details. This field guide walks through each check and what counts as a pass.
On Dropping Bombs, Brad Lea and I got into how you can tell whether a company is real. I said it the way I always say it. It's not a scam just because a company doesn't have offices. But if I can't walk into your office, something's weird. I'm not coming to your house and sitting at your kitchen table.
▶ Watch: Watch: Robert Nikic's office test for spotting a scam
Plenty of good companies are remote now. Some of the best businesses I know run from shared workspaces or no office at all. The office test isn't really about bricks. It's about whether a company is willing to be found. Legit companies make themselves easy to verify. Scams make themselves hard to pin down.
Why the office test still matters
Regulators flag the same thing. Investor.gov, the SEC's investor education site, lists sending payment to a suspicious address, such as a P.O. box or virtual address, or to a different company than the one you thought you were dealing with, among the warning signs of investment scams (Investor.gov). An address alone doesn't decide anything. An address that doesn't match anything else is a signal.
The verification worksheet
Run all seven checks. Most take less than five minutes.
| # | Check | How to do it | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business registration | Search the state business registry | Active entity, name matches, formed before the business claims | No record, inactive or formed last month |
| 2 | Address | Search it on a map and in street view | Real office, shared workspace or a clearly disclosed virtual office | Residential address presented as headquarters, or nothing there |
| 3 | Main phone | Call the number on the website, not the salesperson's cell | Answered as the company, transferred properly | Voicemail only, disconnected or answered by the same salesperson |
| 4 | People | Look up leaders and staff by name | Real, findable profiles with work history | Stock photos, no history, names that don't search |
| 5 | Payment details | Compare the payee name to the company name | Payee matches the legal entity | Payment to an individual or a different company |
| 6 | Track record | Search the company and owner names with "complaints," "reviews" and "lawsuit" | Mixed but answered, with no pattern of unresolved problems | Repeated, recent, unanswered complaints |
| 7 | Live contact | Ask for a video call or a visit | Yes, scheduled easily | Excuses, delays or pressure to pay first |
How to run each check
1. Search the state business registry
Every state runs a free online lookup through its Secretary of State or equivalent office. In Florida, it's Sunbiz, run by the Division of Corporations (Florida Division of Corporations). Look for the exact legal name, the status ("active"), the filing date and the registered agent.
A note on registered agents: many legitimate companies list a registered agent's address rather than their own office. That's normal. What you're checking is whether the company exists and is in good standing.
2. Look the address up
Type it into a map and check street view. A suite in a business center or a coworking space is fine. A virtual office can be fine too, as long as the company is upfront about it. What should worry you is an address presented as a headquarters that turns out to be a house, a mailbox store or an empty lot.
3. Call the main number
Not the salesperson's cell. The number listed on the company website or registry. A real company answers as the company, routes you to a department and can tell you who you've been talking to.
4. Check the people
Search the names of the leaders and the person selling to you. Real people have real histories: past jobs, mentions in local news, conference talks, professional profiles. Be cautious if every face on the "team" page leads nowhere.
5. Read the payment details carefully
This is the check that stops the most fraud. If the invoice or wire instructions name a person, or a company with a different name, stop and ask why. Investor.gov specifically warns about payments sent to an individual or to a different company than the one you thought you were dealing with (Investor.gov).
6. Look at the track record
Search the company and the owner's name with words like "complaints," "reviews" and "lawsuit." Read the newest results first. Any business that's been around a while will have some complaints. What matters is whether there's a pattern and whether the company responds. You can also check your state attorney general's consumer office (NAAG).
7. Ask for a video call or a visit
This is the office test in its modern form. A legitimate company will say yes. If you're met with excuses, delays or "we can talk after you sign up," that tells you what you need to know.
What if a company fails one check?
One gap can have an innocent explanation. A new company may not have a long track record. A remote team may not have an office. Ask about the gap directly and see how they answer.
Walk away if:
- The company fails two or more checks
- You're pushed to pay before you can verify
- The answers to your questions change each time you ask
If you've already paid
- Contact your bank or card issuer right away about disputing the charge.
- Save every email, text, invoice and receipt.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Tell your state attorney general's consumer protection office.
The FTC's consumer advice on avoiding scams makes the same core point: scammers pressure you to act immediately, and they tell you to pay in a specific way, such as gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps or cryptocurrency (FTC Consumer Advice).
▸ Why I keep coming back to this
I spend most of my time now on small-business growth rather than running a company, as an advisor on innovation and economic growth to an international council working on SDG 8 & 9. Trust is the thread through all of it. A new founder deciding whether a supplier, lender or partner is legit is making the same call I made many times when I was starting out. Simple checks like these cost nothing, and they're the first line of protection for anyone with limited money to lose. I'd also like to see verification get easier for everyone: clearer public business registries, faster ways to confirm who you're paying, and less room for impersonators to hide.
FAQ: is this company legit or a scam?
How can I tell if a company is legit?
Check that it's registered with the state, that its address and phone are real, that its people are findable, and that the payee name matches the company.
Is a virtual office a sign of a scam?
Not by itself. Many legitimate businesses use virtual offices. Be cautious when a virtual address is presented as a headquarters and nothing else checks out.
What's the most important check before paying a company?
Make sure the name on the payment instructions matches the legal company name, and confirm any change in payment details by phone.
Real companies want to be found. Scams want to be trusted without being checked.
What is Robert Nikic's view on verifying a company?
Robert Nikic's view is that a company doesn't need a fancy office to be legit, but you should be able to find it, call it and meet its people before you pay. If you can't, slow down and dig deeper.
Related reading: Robert Nikic on Business Scams: 7 Questions to Ask First · Robert Nikic on Invoice Fraud and Fake Supplier Emails · Robert Nikic on Online Shopping Scams
