Is This Link Safe? Link Checker
Got a link in an email, text, WhatsApp message or QR code that doesn't feel right? Paste it here instead of clicking it. We open it safely on our server, follow every redirect to where it really goes, and look for the tell-tale signs of a scam.
- Opened safely, not by you
- Follows every redirect
- 15+ phishing checks
The signs of a scam link
- A famous name in the wrong place: paypal.secure-login.example.com belongs to example.com, not PayPal. Read the address from the right, up to the first single slash.
- A brand-new domain: scam sites are usually days or weeks old and gone within a month.
- Lookalike letters: rn instead of m, a 0 for an o, or letters from other alphabets.
- A page asking you to sign in after you clicked a link in a message. Real companies are happy for you to go to their site yourself.
- Urgency: "your account will be closed today", a parcel fee, a fine or a refund.
No warnings doesn't mean safe
- Hacked real websites and well-known services (shared documents, forms, cloud storage) are used for scams too, and can pass every check.
- If a message asks you to sign in, pay or change details, contact the company using details you already have, not the ones in the message.
- Forward scam texts to 7726, scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, and report fraud to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101).
- Clicked already and entered a password? Change it now from the real site, turn on two-step verification, and follow our first-hour guide.