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Domain Investigation Report

Report generated: Dec 26, 2025

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goodreads.com

http://goodreads.com
Geo: unknown
Website: Site icon
Category: Domain
Recommendation
Caution
Overall Summary
Suspicious
  Why we think so? 

Goodreads.com is a well-established site focused on books, reviews, and reader communities, ranking #404 globally with about 85 million monthly visits, mostly from the US. Its technology stack includes widely recognized platforms like Amazon hosting services and major advertising providers, highlighting a professional setup. The domain was created in 2002 and is owned by Goodreads LLC, part of Amazon Technologies, Inc., with verified trademarks for "GOODREADS." The site uses HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate ensuring secure connections. While it is technically legitimate and has no blacklist warnings, users frequently report issues regarding fake profiles, poor customer service, and scams such as extortion attempts and fraudulent review offers targeting authors. No active lawsuits were found, but some controversies including review manipulation and account suspensions have been noted.

Confidence Score Our overall confidence rating for this entity based on public signals, activity, and risk checks.
90%

Risk Insights

🛠️

Strong Technical Setup and Traffic

  • Amazon hosting and CDN used for scalability.
  • High monthly visits (~85M) with mainly US-based users.
  • Diverse traffic sources including search and direct.
✅

Verified Trademark Ownership

  • Multiple trademarks registered to Goodreads LLC and Amazon.
  • Protects brand identity legally.
  • Active registration status confirms ongoing business.
⚠️

User-Reported Scam and Trust Issues

  • Authors and users report extortion and fake review scams.
  • Complaints about poor customer support responses.
  • Issues with impersonation and review bombing noted.

Category Scores

Red Flags & Warnings

  • Reported scams include extortion threats, fake review solicitations, and poor management of impersonation issues.
  • User complaints of inadequate customer service and slow response to content abuses.

Detailed Checks & Insights

0-100 Scale

Domain age and registration

Score: 90
Passed

Reason: The domain is over 20 years old and registered to reputable entities: MarkMonitor and Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Technology infrastructure and traffic

Score: 95
Passed

Reason: Goodreads.com uses Amazon hosting and CDN, has high traffic (~85M monthly visits), and diverse, legitimate traffic sources.

Blacklist and phishing status

Score: 100
Passed

Reason: No flags from crypto scam databases or Google Safe Browsing indicate no known active malware or phishing.

Trademark and brand validation

Score: 90
Passed

Reason: Multiple active trademarks registered for "GOODREADS" owned by Goodreads LLC and Amazon Technologies, Inc.

User reputation and scam reports

Score: 50
Failed

Reason: Users report frequent scams including extortion threats, fake reviewer solicitations, and poor customer service handling these issues.

Your Next Steps

  • 1

    Use caution when interacting with user-generated content on Goodreads, especially review offers or unsolicited messages.

  • 2

    Verify author identities before engagement to avoid scam accounts or impersonation.

  • 3

    Report suspicious reviews or scam attempts using Goodreads' official reporting tools.

  • 4

    Consider alternative book community sites if concerns about scams or moderation reliability persist.

Evidence & Citations

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