Check that an organization contact is genuine

A logo, display name, or professional-looking message can be copied. Before sending sensitive records to someone claiming to represent an organization, check the contact through an independent route. This is particularly important when the message arrives unexpectedly.

Start from the official source

Type the organization's known address or find its official site through a reliable route. Use the contact details published there to ask whether the person or request is genuine. Avoid verifying a message only by calling the number contained in that same message.

Check the exact domain of email addresses and links. A familiar word inside a longer address does not establish that the address belongs to the organization.

Clarify the request

Ask what service is being offered, what information is needed, and how the organization handles it. An initial inquiry usually should not require sharing a complete collection of private documents with an unknown recipient.

• Organization and relevant department.
• Independent official contact route.
• Purpose of the request.
• Appropriate method for sending information.

Keep a limited record

Note when and how the contact was checked, and who will handle further communication. Do not publish personal staff information or accuse someone publicly while an identity question is unresolved.

A listing in Wakif's help directory is a starting point for discovering an organization. Check current details on the organization's own site. A directory entry does not mean Wakif verified a particular incoming message or guarantees the organization's response to your case.