How Do You Verify a New Online Business Before Paying? Share Your Real Experiences

When you find a new business online — how do you actually verify they're legit before handing over your money? I'm Vishal, 7 years in Enterprise Customer Success. I'm researching a real problem and your experience is more valuable than any report I can read. We've all been there — → Paid upfront. Business vanished. → Reviews were glowing. Reality wasn't. → Website looked professional. Nobody picked up the phone. So what do YOU actually do? Google them? Ask your network? Check LinkedIn? Look for a registration number? Just go with gut feel? No agenda. No product pitch. Just building something to fix this and I want to hear real stories before I write a single line of code. Drop your answer below or DM me. Even one line helps 🙏