How to Verify a VeriSign Certificate

With the popularity of the Internet there has followed a corresponding growth of scams and fraudulent websites that use the Internet as a place to function. To combat this, legitimate websites use tools to verify the legitimacy of the site. One such tool is offered by VeriSign and is called the VeriSign certificate. A VeriSign certificate indicates that VeriSign has reviewed the website in question and found it to be legitimate. Luckily, it is relatively easy to verify a VeriSign certificate in order to make sure that it is genuine.

You can use your computer and the Internet to verify a VeriSign certificate.

Step

Go to the website in question. For an example, go to the VeriSign website and use it as a practice site for verification purposes. A link to the VeriSign website can be found below in References.

Step

Locate the VeriSign certificate on the page. The VeriSign certificate consists of a large check-mark next to the phrase "VeriSign Secured." The majority of the certificate is a bright red color. You'll need to locate this certificate in order to verify it. On the example page of the VeriSign website the VeriSign certificate is at the bottom-right corner of the page.

Step

Click on the VeriSign certificate once you locate it. Doing so should open a pop-up window that includes certain information that is crucial to verifying the certificate.

Step

Look at the web address of the pop-up window. The web address begins with "http://" and should be at the top of your web browser. If the VeriSign certificate is genuine then the web address will begin with: https://seal.verisign.com. If the web address does not begin with this then the certificate is a forgery.

Step

Report any fake VeriSign certificates to VeriSign once you locate them and avoid doing business of any kind with a website that displays a fake VeriSign certificate.