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Domain Due Diligence

Report for Dot.gov

Report Date
October 25, 2025
Recommendation
Proceed
Overall Summary
Safe
  Why we think so? 

The domain dot.gov is officially used by the U.S. Department of Transportation and related government agencies. It has a strong technical infrastructure, including reputable hosting and security with Akamai and Entrust TLS certificates. The website receives about 5.6 million visits monthly, mostly from U.S. users, with a solid global rank around #8,783. It employs recognized technologies like Drupal, Google Analytics, and Salesforce and maintains authentic contact information with multiple official emails and phone numbers. Numerous trademarks related to ‘DOT’ exist, but these correspond to various industrial companies, not confusing the government use. There is no evidence of dot.gov being listed in crypto scam blacklists or flagged by Google Safe Browsing, and it appears trustworthy in search and news results. However, domain registration vulnerabilities for .gov domains have led to some fraudulent registrations elsewhere, and government impersonation scams remain common in general, so vigilance with communications is advised.

Confidence Score
91%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Strong Government Backing

  • Operated by U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Verified official contacts
  • Backed by public sector authority
🔐

Robust Technical Security

  • Uses Akamai CDN and secure hosting
  • Valid TLS certificate
  • No phishing or blacklist flags detected
📊

High Web Traffic and Engagement

  • About 5.6 million monthly visits
  • Low bounce rate under 45%
  • Primarily U.S.-based users

Contradictory Signals

While dot.gov is legitimate, system weaknesses have existed historically allowing some fake .gov domains, warranting caution.

Signal A: Legitimate dot.gov domain and official contacts

Signal B: Past vulnerabilities in .gov domain registration allowing fraudulent registrations

Category Scores

Red Flags & Warnings

  • There have been documented cases of fraudulent .gov domain registrations due to weak validation procedures in the past.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain Ownership and Identity

Score: 95/100
Passed

"Multiple official emails and phone numbers correlate well with government agency listings."

Reason: The domain is officially controlled by the U.S. Department of Transportation and has consistent official contact information.

Traffic and Usage Metrics

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Metrics align with a recognized government site rather than low-quality or suspicious traffic."

Reason: Site receives millions of monthly visitors primarily from the U.S., with low bounce rate and high engagement, indicating legitimate use.

Technical Infrastructure and Security

Score: 92/100
Passed

"DNS and SSL data confirm trusted technical setup consistent with government standards."

Reason: The site uses trusted hosting providers, Content Delivery Networks, and has a valid TLS certificate issued by Entrust.

Content Authenticity and Reputation

Score: 88/100
Passed

"Referenced in news and official government portals without reputation issues."

Reason: The content is clearly associated with government transportation programs and regulations, with no indications of fraudulent content.

Legal and Trademark Status

Score: 90/100
Passed

".gov domain policies and registrations prevent common trademark and cybersquatting disputes."

Reason: Trademarks related to "DOT" exist but do not conflict with government use, and there is no evidence of disputes impacting the domain.

Your Next Steps

  • 1

    Verify suspicious government communications by contacting official department numbers or emails directly.

  • 2

    Do not rely solely on .gov appearing in sender email addresses due to impersonation scams.

  • 3

    Report any suspected fraud involving government impersonation to FTC or local authorities.

  • 4

    Use official government sites for any travel, safety, or regulatory information instead of unknown third-party sites.

Evidence & Citations

🕵🏻 Keep investigating

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