Why does domain age matter for phishing detection?

Over 95% of phishing sites are registered less than 30 days before they are used in attacks. A brand-new domain claiming to be SBI, Paytm or IRCTC is almost certainly fraudulent.

How do I check when a website was registered?

Enter the domain name into PhishGuard's Website Age Checker. It queries WHOIS databases to return the registration date, expiry date, registrar, and country of registration instantly.

What is WHOIS and how does it help detect fake websites?

WHOIS is a public database of domain registration records. It reveals when a domain was created, who registered it, and when it expires. Scammers often hide their identity and register domains days before phishing campaigns.

How does website age help detect UPI and phishing scams in India?

New domains are the single strongest indicator of phishing in India. 96% of phishing sites are less than 3 months old at the time of first detection, and over 60% are less than 30 days old. Scammers register new domains daily to evade blocklists. A website claiming to be 'SBI Internet Banking' or 'IRCTC e-Ticket' but registered last week is definitively fraudulent. Check domain age as your first step before visiting any financial website.

How do I check when a suspicious Amazon India, Flipkart, or Meesho site was created?

Enter the domain in PhishGuard's Website Age Checker. It performs a WHOIS lookup and checks multiple data sources to find the original registration date. Legitimate Indian e-commerce platforms have domains registered for 5–20 years. Fake sale sites (common during Big Billion Days, Great Indian Festival, and Diwali) are registered weeks before the event. A 'Flipkart sale site' registered 2 weeks ago is always a scam.

Can scammers make a new domain look old to fool website age checkers?

Partially — scammers sometimes buy expired domains with age to borrow their history. PhishGuard's Website Age Checker cross-references: WHOIS registration date, domain first-seen date in threat intelligence feeds, Wayback Machine history, and content consistency (an old domain that suddenly became a bank login page is highly suspicious). Age combined with content change detection catches domain repurposing attacks that simple WHOIS checks miss.

What is domain squatting and how does it target Indian brand customers?

Domain squatting (cybersquatting) is registering domain names similar to legitimate brands to intercept traffic or conduct phishing. Common patterns for Indian brands: 'flipkart-sale.com', 'amazon-india-helpline.in', 'sbi-banking-secure.com', 'paytm-kyc-update.net'. These domains are typically registered within a week of the legitimate brand running a major campaign or making news. PhishGuard detects squatting via brand keyword analysis in domain names.

How old should a domain be before I trust it for online shopping in India?

For financial transactions, use only domains older than 1 year as a minimum baseline. For major purchases, 3+ years is safer. Cross-reference: check if the business has a verified GST number, physical address, and social media presence matching the domain age. A domain that is 18 months old with zero social media presence and no GST registration is still highly suspicious for e-commerce. Use PhishGuard's full scan for a comprehensive verdict beyond just age.

Why do most Indian phishing sites only last 2–7 days before being taken down?

Phishing sites are taken down via CERT-In abuse reports, hosting provider Acceptable Use Policy enforcement, domain registrar suspension, and browser Safe Browsing blocklist updates. Scammers compensate by rotating through hundreds of new domains per day — they use automated tools to register domains in bulk from cheap registrars. This is why PhishGuard checks domain age in real-time rather than relying on static blocklists, which are always days behind.

What is the minimum domain age for a legitimate Indian government website?

All legitimate Indian government websites end in .gov.in, .nic.in, or specific approved TLDs and have been registered for many years — typically 10–25 years. NIC (National Informatics Centre) manages central government domain registrations. Any website claiming to represent an Indian government scheme or department on a .com, .in, .net, or .org domain is NOT official. Schemes like PM Kisan, Aadhaar, and EPFO will NEVER have a .com domain.

How do I find out who owns a suspicious website in India using WHOIS?

PhishGuard's Website Age Checker includes WHOIS data showing registrar, registration date, expiry date, registrant country, and nameservers. Many phishing sites use WHOIS privacy protection — a red flag for financial sites. Legitimate Indian businesses register with identity-verified WHOIS. Check if the registrar is India-based (GoDaddy India, BigRock, NameCheap India) vs anonymous offshore registrars that accept cryptocurrency with no identity verification.

Can a recently registered .in domain be legitimate in India?

Yes — genuinely new businesses register new domains. The key is not age alone but age in context of what the site claims to be. A new startup's website being 3 months old is normal. A website claiming to be an established bank, government portal, or major e-commerce platform being 3 months old is impossible — those institutions have existed for years. PhishGuard combines domain age with brand impersonation detection to distinguish legitimate new businesses from phishing sites.

What should I check besides domain age when verifying a new Indian website?

In addition to domain age, verify: SSL certificate issuer and age, IP geolocation (hosted in India or offshore?), WHOIS privacy (enabled or transparent?), MX records (does the company have a real email server?), social media presence and age, GST registration number (all Indian e-commerce businesses must have one), physical address verifiable on Google Maps, and customer reviews on trusted third-party platforms like Google Reviews, JustDial, or IndiaMART. PhishGuard's scan covers the technical checks automatically.

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Website Age Checker

Free Website Age Checker India — When Was This Domain Registered?

95% of phishing domains are under 30 days old. Check registration date via WHOIS — domain age is one of the strongest fraud signals available.

Website Age Checker India — Find Out When Any Domain Was Registered

Use PhishGuard's free domain age checker India to find out when this domain was registered, when it expires, and who registered it. Our website age checker India performs a real-time WHOIS lookup and shows registration date, expiry date, registrar name, and country. Most phishing sites impersonating SBI, IRCTC, Paytm, and HDFC are less than 30 days old — a brand-new domain asking for your OTP is almost certainly a scam. Domain age checker free — no login, no payment, instant results for any .com, .in, .net domain.

Also check: Phishing Link Checker · SSL Checker · DNS Lookup

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Domain Age Risk Guide

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0–30 days — Extremely High Risk

95% of phishing domains are under 30 days old. Attackers register fresh domains to stay ahead of blocklists. Treat any new domain claiming to be a bank with maximum suspicion.

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30–365 days — Medium Risk

Domain is less than a year old. May be legitimate, but exercise caution — especially for financial services, government portals, or payment pages.

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1+ years — Established Domain

Older domains are generally more trustworthy. Phishing sites typically disappear within days to weeks. Legitimate brands maintain consistent domain history.