Phishing or scam link

How to spot phishing links

A phishing link is a link designed to trick you into giving up information, installing something, paying a scammer, or opening a fake sign-in page.

phishing_signalurl_phishing_signal

Ask Leo!What Happens If You Click a Bad Link?

Open video on YouTube

How to read this alert

Treat this as a signal to slow down and verify the destination, the request, and the audience. The alert does not mean every related page is malicious. It means there is enough risk that the normal click-through habit is not good enough.

The safest response is to separate the message from the account, service, or person it claims to represent. Open the real service from a bookmark, typed address, password manager, or trusted app instead of letting the suspicious page choose the path for you.

What to check before you trust it

The message creates urgency, fear, curiosity, or a reward.
The sender asks you to sign in, pay, verify, update, download, or approve something.
The link destination is unfamiliar, shortened, misspelled, or unrelated to the claimed sender.
The page asks for credentials, payment details, MFA codes, recovery codes, or remote access.

Decision path

1. Name the request

Is the page asking for a login, payment, download, private context, automated action, or approval?

2. Check the evidence

Compare the actual destination, signal tags, sender, and page behavior against what you expected.

3. Choose the safer route

If the request is sensitive or surprising, leave the link and use a known-good path or trusted person.

Examples

RiskyA text says your account will close today unless you sign in through a short link.SaferOpen the company site from your own bookmark or typed address and check notifications there.

RiskyAn invoice email says to download a new viewer before you can see the bill.SaferCall the vendor using a known number or open the vendor portal directly.

What to do next

Stop before signing in or downloading anything.
Check the sender, visible link text, and actual destination domain.
Open the real service manually from a bookmark, password manager, or typed address.
Report the message to your IT contact, email provider, or the service being impersonated.
If you already entered credentials, change the password from the real site and revoke active sessions.

Common mistakes

Trusting a logo, brand color, or professional-looking design by itself.
Assuming a link is safe because it arrived from a known person whose account may be compromised.
Signing in from the link instead of opening the service from a saved bookmark.

Quick check

Test the decision before you leave

This short quiz stays in your browser. It is meant to reinforce the safe habit, not grade or track you.

1You see a "Phishing or scam link" warning. What should you do first?Stop before signing in or downloading anything.Click through quickly if the page looks professional.Enter a small amount of information first to see whether the page works.

2Which clue is most useful for this lesson: "How to spot phishing links"?The page uses the same colors as a trusted brand.The message creates urgency, fear, curiosity, or a reward.The message says the task is urgent.

3What is the safest habit after a link or page does not feel right?Reuse the same link in a private browser window.Ask the page itself whether it is safe.Open the real service manually from a bookmark, password manager, or typed address.