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Is That Link Safe to Click? How to Check URLs and Websites Before Visiting

 

We've all seen sketchy links pop up in emails, social media posts, and online ads. Clicking on these malicious links can expose you to phishing scams, malware, and other cyber threats. That's why it's so important to check the safety of a link before you click.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll go over different ways to analyze URLs, scan websites, and verify legitimacy - so you can avoid spam and stay safe online.

 

Why You Should Check Links for Safety

There are many risks to clicking on an unknown or suspicious link, including:

• Malware downloads - The link could contain a file download that infects your device with viruses, spyware, ransomware, or other malware. This gives hackers access to your data and lets them control or damage your device.
• Phishing scams - The link may direct you to a fake website impersonating a real one, like your bank, to steal login credentials and account information. Phishing links are a common tactic for identity theft.
• Unsafe content - The destination website may contain inappropriate, illegal, or dangerous content you don't want to expose yourself or your family to.
• Redirects - Some sketchy links will redirect you through multiple sites before landing you somewhere malicious, making it harder to identify the final destination.
• Wasted time - Even if a suspicious link isn't directly dangerous, it still may lead somewhere odd, irrelevant, or unusable, wasting your time.

Checking a link takes just a few seconds while clicking blindly puts you at serious risk for viruses, fraud, and other issues. Get in the habit of vetting every link that comes your way.

 

Tools to Check If a Link is Safe

Fortunately, there are free online tools and browser extensions you can use to inspect links and see if a website is potentially dangerous before visiting:

URL Scanners

• URLVoid - Paste in any URL and get a quick report on malware, spam, and blacklisted status.
• PhishTank - Checks if the URL has been reported as a phishing scam in their large crowdsourced database.
• URLChecker - Scans URLs against blacklists and also shows you the final destination after redirects.
• Unmask Parasites - Focuses on identifying hidden redirects, tracking scripts, and parameters.

Website Safety Checkers

• Google Safe Browsing - See if Google has flagged the site for hosting malware or phishing content.
• Norton Safe Web - Check a site's reputation based on Norton's dynamic database of unsafe sites.
• Sucuri SiteCheck - Scans for malware, blacklisting status, website errors, and other safety issues.
• Trend Micro Site Safety Center - Assesses site security, spam status, adult content, and other potential risks.

Browser Extensions

• Web of Trust (WOT) - A browser extension that displays colored icons indicating other users' ratings for safety and trustworthiness.
• Avast Online Security - Blocks unsafe sites, checks links automatically, and detects phishing scam pages.
• Bitdefender TrafficLight - Adds color-coded safety ratings when you hover over Google search results and site links.
• URLhaus - Blocks and warns about websites hosting malware, as reported to their database.

Using a combination of URL scanners, website checkers, and browser add-ons can help catch unsafe links from any source. Links may not set off any alarms at first, only to become problematic later as new threats emerge. So it's smart to run checks regularly before visiting any unfamiliar sites or making online purchases.

 

5 Things to Look For in a Sketchy Link

Beyond just scanning a link, certain red flags can tip you off to sketchy links:

• Mismatched domain - The text you click does not match the actual URL domain you end up at. Watch for slight misspellings or extra subdomains.
• Long, complicated URL - Overly complex URLs with lots of characters are hard to decipher. Legitimate sites tend to have shorter, simpler links.
• IPs instead of domain - URLs with a series of numbers instead of a normal website name are highly suspicious.
• Unexpected redirects - After clicking a link, if you end up somewhere completely different, it likely contains unsafe redirects.
• HTTPS missing - Secure sites will have "https" at the start of the URL. HTTP without the "s" means the connection is unencrypted.

Digging into the actual composition of the URL can reveal hints that something is off before even running it through a scanner tool.

 

How to Check if a Website is Safe to Visit

While checking the link itself is important, you also need to analyze the safety of the final website you end up at. Here are ways to evaluate an unknown site:

• Verify domain age - Use Whois to see when the website was registered. Newly created domains are at higher risk.
• Search for reviews - Look online for customer reviews and scam reports about the website to gauge reputation.
• Assess professionalism - The website's design, content quality, and level of customer service indicate legitimacy.
• Check for contact info - Reputable businesses display working phone numbers, emails, physical addresses, and representative names.
• Look for HTTPS and SSL - Sites with HTTPS URLs and SSL certificates encrypt your data and are more secure.
• See if it has social media - Real websites often link their other official social profiles like Facebook and Twitter.
• Search the company name - Look up the website owner's company name for incorporation records, LinkedIn profiles, media mentions, or other independent info confirming they are a valid business.
• Trust your gut - If anything about the site seems "off" or too good to be true, it's best to avoid it.

The more you can confirm a website is long-standing, professional, secure, and transparent, the more likely it is to be safe for transactions and visits. Use common sense paired with scam detection tools for the best defense.

 

Recognizing Telltale Signs of a Scam Website

Beyond a standard safety check, here are some clear warning signs a website might be a scam operation:

• Amateur design - Scam sites tend to have sloppy designs with awkward fonts, stock images, and mismatched branding elements.
• Too good to be true offers - Prices, interest rates, and guarantees that seem unrealistic often indicate a scam.
• Negative online reviews - Search the site's name plus words like "scam" or "complaint" to find reports from other victims.
• Pop-up ads and images - An overload of ads and pop-ups makes a site look cheap and untrustworthy.
• Spammy emails - If you get signed up for an onslaught of emails after visiting, it's typically a scam site capturing addresses.
• Fake customer reviews - Overly positive or generic reviews sound unrealistic and may use stock photos instead of real customer pics.
• Aggressive sales pitches - Pressure to buy an offered product or donate money can signal a money-grabbing scam.
• No customer support - Lack of phone numbers, email contacts, live chat, and support resources is a major red flag.
• Incorrect business info - Fake addresses, disconnected phone numbers, and inactive social profiles all indicate fraud.

Your best protection is learning the typical scam site warning signs, so you can recognize and avoid them quickly.

 

Is It Legal to Check Links and Website Safety?

A common question is whether you can legally scan links, check websites, and access online safety tools without permission. The short answer is yes.

As long as you only use publicly available information and do not try hacking or penetrating site security, it is perfectly legal for you to:

• Analyze URLs and domain info
• Search for website reputation
• Read customer reviews
• Check scam report databases
• Use browser extensions that access public data
• Enter a URL into any safety scanning or checking tool

These precautionary measures do not interfere with a website's functioning and are comparable to looking up reviews before purchasing a product or service. They help you avoid potential threats online while exercising due diligence.

However, you should not attempt to bypass security, gain unauthorized access to private data, or perform intensive scraping or crawling of a website without permission, as that can violate cybercrime laws.

When in doubt, consult an attorney about the legality of your web research methods.

The vast majority of personal internet users, though, have a full legal right to utilize online safety checkers and tools for protection. Proactively vetting websites is considered a smart cybersecurity practice.

 

Teach Kids to Check Links Before Clicking

Children growing up in the digital age need guidance on identifying and avoiding online scams. Teach kids some basic rules:

• Never click a link in an email, message, or online ad without asking an adult first. Even if it looks official.
• Links from strangers are always suspicious, no matter how appealing the offer seems. Ignore or delete them.
• On social media, friends' accounts sometimes get hacked. Don't click their links if a post seems weird or unlike them.
• Use critical thinking before clicking. If it sounds too good to be true, requires an urgent response, or pressures you, it could be fake.
• Not all links that look normal are safe either. Even familiar websites can contain malicious content sometimes. When in doubt, have a parent check it.
• Let an adult know immediately if you click something and end up on a strange site you think might be unsafe. They can help assess it.
• Never download anything from an unknown link, as it could secretly install viruses or malware onto your device.
• Understand that checking a link helps protect you and others from threats online, not just yourself. So it's very important.

Teaching kids smart browsing habits and how to identify suspicious signs primes them to avoid dangerous links and sites as they surf the web. Let them know it's okay to double-check with you anytime they feel unsure about a link's safety.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is clicking on an unknown link really that dangerous?

A: Yes, clicking links without verifying safety first can expose you to many threats - identity theft, financial fraud, malware that damages your device, illegal or inappropriate content, and more. Scammers constantly manipulate links to steal data and money or download malware. Taking two seconds to check a link can prevent huge headaches.

Q2: Can legitimate websites still have malicious links?

A: Unfortunately, yes. Even trusted sites can sometimes end up with infected pages or ad clicks that redirect to unsafe sites. Criminals take advantage of vulnerabilities everywhere. That means you need to be vigilant about checking every individual link, even on known legitimate websites.

Q3: Will link checkers detect all unsafe links or could some slip through?

A: Link checkers use large databases of reported threats to assess safety, but they cannot guarantee catching brand-new or rapidly evolving spam and malware links 100% of the time. There is still a risk even after checking a link, which is why caution-clicking is so important. Think of link checkers as helpful filters that reduce your risk.

Q4: What if a link passes all the initial checks but the site ends up being problematic?

A: There is still a chance a link could pass initial scans but lead somewhere unsafe or malicious once clicked. Some threats are short-lived before being discovered and blacklisted. If you have doubts after visiting, run scans again and check the site through multiple tools and reviews to be thorough.

Q5: Are redirect links always dangerous?

A: Not necessarily. Some legitimate sites do use redirects as part of their site performance tracking or marketing campaigns. The key is checking where the final redirect lands you. If it's the same site name or domain that was referenced in the original link text, it has a higher chance of being safe, even with redirects. But always do your analysis first.

Q6: What should I do if I accidentally click an unsafe link or download something?

A: First, stop interacting with the site and do not enter any information. Run antivirus and malware scans on your device immediately to try removing anything downloaded. Change any passwords you may have entered on fake sites. Check your accounts for fraudulent activity and notify companies of potential identity theft. Unfortunately, once you click, the damage may be done, so prevention is critical.

 

In Summary

Not clicking sketchy links is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect yourself online. But how can you determine if a URL is spam or unsafe? Use link-checking tools like URLVoid and PhishTank to scan URLs and search website reputation.

Watch for red flags in the composition of the URL itself, and also verify the legitimacy of the end site it goes to. Learning common scam website traits like pressure to act fast or fake reviews helps avoid traps.

Teaching kids and others in your life to check links first is also critical for online safety. Link checking only takes a moment compared to the threats it can help prevent. So get in the routine of analyzing every link that comes your way to avoid the cybercriminals lurking out there.