There are so many scams online these days that you are probably already well aware of the risks of clicking on unsolicited links. So-called phishing emails are becoming more and more convincing, and their creators seem to go to great lengths to eliminate typos and grammatical errors, in order to make their messages appear authentic.
Avoid Clicks on risky links and adopt link checkers
Your first option, which will only work in certain circumstances, is to type in the website address yourself. For example, if you receive an email from your bank, for which you have an account, then you can navigate to the official website by typing its official address into Google. Online scammers love to register a similar looking website address, in order to make you believe that it is the real version. So, avoid click on links in any way. If the other method is not too laborious for you, you can install an extension for your web browser. This one will warn you when it judges that the visited sites are dangerous.
Use a link expander and antivirus
Often, you won't be able to see where the link will take you because the sender has shortened their link, via online services such as Cuttly, tinyurl, Bit.ly or even Ow.ly. In this case, you can copy and paste the shortened link into a service that will restore it in its entirety like CheckShortURL.com. It will reveal the real URL of the shortened link. This will help you see if it is safe to click or not. While these methods are reassuring and effective, they are not a line of defense. What will really protect you is an antivirus. It will work regardless of the web browser you use and will keep malware away from your device. Most antivirus programs also come with an email scanning tool. It checks for suspicious attachments and warns you about phishing links in emails and blocking dangerous websites.