A link can say one thing and go somewhere else entirely. URL-Check shows you where a link really goes, before you tap it.
This demo uses a sample text message, the kind that arrives on phones every day. We'll walk through checking its link, step by step.
This is a demonstration. Nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing from your phone or computer is used.
Step 1 of 3
This text arrived out of the blue. It has a link in it. Before tapping it, we want to know where it really goes.
Text message from +1 (202) 555-0187
USPS: Your package could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Please update your details within 24 hours or it will be returned: Update my address
The link just says Update my address. The words don't tell you where it goes, and that's the problem.
Step 2 of 3
Instead of tapping the link, you press and hold it (or right-click it on a computer). A small menu appears. You choose Copy Link, then paste it into URL-Check.
This is the address the link really goes to. You'd never see it by just looking at the message.
Checking the address…
In the real app, this usually takes a few seconds.
Step 3 of 3
Here's the kind of answer URL-Check gives, in plain English.
About the website address
⚠️ DO NOT OPEN
This link is very likely a scam
This link pretends to be the U.S. Postal Service, but it doesn't go to usps.com at all. The real website is parcel-help.top, an unrelated site that simply put "usps.com" at the front of its address to fool you. It arrived in a surprise text with a 24-hour deadline, which is a classic way to rush you. Don't tap it. If you're expecting a package, go to usps.com yourself by typing it into your browser.
The warning signs
Here's what gave this link away:
The real name is at the end. A website's true name is the last part of the address before the first single slash. Here that's parcel-help.top, not usps.com.
A borrowed name up front. Putting "usps.com" at the start is a trick to make the address look official at a glance.
Hidden behind friendly words. The message showed "Update my address" so you'd never see the real destination.
A deadline. "Within 24 hours" is meant to make you act before you think.
Out of the blue. The Postal Service doesn't text you asking for your details unless you signed up for tracking.