FraudScope // Threat Library // Check if a link is safe
How-to // Links
How to check if a link is safe on iPhone
A link can hide where it really goes, and on a phone the full address is easy to miss. Here is how to inspect a link on iPhone before you tap, and how FraudScope can safely reveal a link’s true destination.
On iPhone
Inspect a link before you tap
A few habits catch most dangerous links without opening them.
Press and hold the link
On iPhone, touch and hold a link to preview the full web address before opening it. Read the actual domain carefully.
Find the real domain
The true site is the part right before the first single slash. In "apple.com.verify-id.net/login", the real domain is "verify-id.net", not Apple.
Beware shorteners and redirects
Shortened or redirecting links hide the destination entirely. Do not trust them from unexpected messages.
Match it to the source
If a "bank" text links to a domain that is not your bank’s exact site, treat it as a scam.
When unsure, inspect it safely
Rather than tapping to "just check," use a tool that follows the link for you and reports where it leads.
Red flags
Signs a link is dangerous
- A lookalike domain with extra words or misspellings.
- The brand name appears only in a subdomain, not the real domain.
- A shortened link in an unexpected, urgent message.
- The address uses unusual endings or random characters.
- The link arrived with pressure to act immediately.
How FraudScope helps
See the destination without the risk
Drop a link into FraudScope. With URL Deep Inspection (a Pro feature) it follows the link and reports the true destination, the domain’s age, and its security certificate, so a brand-new lookalike site is exposed before you ever enter anything.
This is the one feature that uses the internet, and FraudScope tells you before it does. Analysis runs entirely on your iPhone and makes no network requests. The only time FraudScope touches the internet is if you tap Inspect URL to check where a link really goes, and it tells you before it does.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I preview a link on iPhone without opening it?
Touch and hold the link. iOS shows a preview with the full web address and options. Read the real domain carefully, but remember that lookalike domains and redirects can still mislead, so use a link inspector when in doubt.
What part of a web address is the real domain?
It is the portion immediately before the first single slash. For "secure.bank.example-login.com/account", the real domain is "example-login.com". Anything to the left, like "secure" or "bank", is just a subdomain a scammer can set to anything.
Does FraudScope send my messages anywhere?
No. Analysis runs entirely on your iPhone with no network connection. The only time it contacts the internet is if you choose to inspect a link’s destination, and it tells you before it does.
Will FraudScope catch every scam?
No tool can. FraudScope is strongest with the full content of a message and weaker with a bare screenshot that has no link or sender. It is a powerful second opinion, not a guarantee. When in doubt, slow down and check with someone you trust.
Read the scam before it reads you
FraudScope explains what a suspicious message is really trying to do, entirely on your iPhone. Now available on the App Store.