How do you report a fraudulent website to a registrar?

Anyone can help keep the Internet safe. If you find a website that contains malware, phishing scams, or impersonates a legitimate business, you can report it to a registrar or hosting company for investigation.

Here are the steps to take when you come across suspicious domain names or websites and want to make sure they’re handled properly.

How can you tell if a site is fake or hacked?

Fraudulent websites generally fall into two main categories: fake sites and hacked sites.

Fake sites are created from scratch to install malware, steal data, or mislead users. Hacked sites, by contrast, are legitimate websites that have been compromised by attackers and altered to redirect visitors or spread malicious content.

Understanding this difference is important because it affects where you report the issue.

What should you know about hacked sites?

If you visit a website regularly and it suddenly redirects to an unrelated or unsafe page, the site itself (or sometimes its domain) may have been hacked.

Attackers often exploit vulnerabilities in website software or plugins, allowing them to forward traffic from a legitimate site to a malicious one. In other cases, they gain access to the hosting account and replace the site’s content entirely.

If you notice these symptoms, the safest step is to avoid further interaction and begin gathering information for a report.

What are fake websites?

Fake websites may look professional and legitimate, but they’re designed to deceive. They often imitate real businesses, online stores, or institutions to trick users into giving up sensitive information or downloading malware.

Common signs include poor grammar, unusual domain names, or contact details that don’t match the brand they’re claiming to represent. For more guidance, you can read additional tips on how to spot a fake site.

In either case — hacked or fake — your first step is to find out who owns the domain name.

Key takeaways

• Fake sites are intentionally created for fraud or malware.
  
• Hacked sites are real sites that attackers have compromised.
  
• Identifying which type you’re dealing with helps you report it correctly.

How do you find out who owns a domain name?

Every registrar offers a Whois service that enables you to look up the owner of a domain name and view technical details, including nameservers, registration dates, and contact information.

If you’ve never used a Whois tool before, we offer a guide on how to read a Whois record.

In many cases, a domain name used for fraud won’t have accurate information listed. Fake phone numbers (such as those starting with 555) or incomplete contact details can help confirm the suspicion of fraud when filing your report.

Should you report a site to a domain registrar or hosting provider?

If you find a website that contains malware or phishing content, contact either the web hosting company or the domain registrar, depending on where the issue lies.

A domain registrar handles the registration of the domain name — it points to the website, but does not necessarily host its content. The hosting provider, on the other hand, is where the site’s files and data actually live.

For example, someone may register a domain with Namecheap but host their website with another provider. In that case, the domain acts as the street address, while the hosting service is the physical house.

If the fraudulent activity involves the content of the website, contact the hosting provider. Registrars typically cannot take direct action against hosted content unless the domain itself is being abused.

How do you find a website’s hosting provider?

Before filing a report, gather key technical details about the suspicious website. One useful step is to examine its nameservers in the Whois record.

Example:

Name Server: NS01.hostingcompanyname.TLD  

Name Server: NS02.hostingcompanyname.TLD

Sometimes, the hosting company’s name appears directly in the nameserver. If it doesn’t, the site may be using an intermediary service that redirects to another host.

If the nameservers don’t make the host clear, try an online tool such as WhoisHostingThis.com (www.whoishostingthis.com) to identify where the site is hosted.

When should you contact a domain registrar?

If the domain name itself is being used for fraudulent purposes — for example, in phishing or impersonation scams — you should contact the domain registrar. You should also contact the registrar if the Whois information for the owner is fake or misleading.

You can find the registrar listed in the Whois record under:

Registrar: EXAMPLE REGISTRAR LLC

Once you know the registrar, visit its website and look for an abuse or contact page to submit your report.

Key takeaways

• A registrar manages domain registration, while a host stores site files.
  
• Contact the hosting provider for content-related abuse.
  
• Report domain-level issues, such as phishing or impersonation, to the registrar.

How do you report abuse?

Once you’ve identified whether to contact the hosting company or registrar, it’s time to submit your report.

Visit the company’s website and look for a “report abuse” or “report fraud” link, typically found in the footer or Contact section. If you can’t locate one, you can often email abuse@[companyname].com.

When submitting your report, include as much detail as possible:

• Specific information about why you believe the site is fraudulent or malicious
  
• URLs of the affected pages, if not the homepage
  
• Screenshots of suspicious content
  
• Full email headers and message content if the abuse involved email
  
• Any inaccurate Whois details you found
  

Providing clear evidence enables the company to take quicker and more effective action.

Why might a company not take action?

Even reputable registrars and hosts cannot remove every reported website. Many receive hundreds of abuse reports weekly, and investigating each one takes time.

Sometimes the evidence is insufficient, or the content does not meet the company’s criteria for removal. In other cases, the company is not hosting the reported content and therefore lacks the authority to act.

Companies must also comply with national laws and adhere to free speech guidelines. If content is not found to be illegal or harmful, it may remain online.

Regardless of the outcome, user vigilance is crucial. Every person who reports abuse contributes to a safer Internet for all.

Key takeaways

• Not all reports lead to immediate removal.
  
• Companies must verify evidence and adhere to applicable legal frameworks.
  
• Staying alert and reporting issues helps protect the broader web community.

How can you report a fraudulent site to Namecheap?

Namecheap takes fraud seriously and works to keep the Internet safe for everyone.

If you discover a website you believe is fake or have concerns about a domain registered or hosted by Namecheap, visit our documentation on reporting fraud and abuse for step-by-step instructions.

You can also contact the customer support team directly for assistance or further guidance.

Summary

• Determine whether the site is fake or hacked before reporting.
  
• Use a Whois lookup to identify the registrar and hosting provider.
  
• Report domain abuse to the registrar, and content abuse to the hosting company.
  
• Include full details, screenshots, and URLs in your report for best results.

Last updated 5 November 2025