Malwarebytes Launches Free Scam Link Check So Anyone Can Verify a Link is Safe Before They Click

New tool helps shoppers catch scams before the holiday deals rush of Amazon Prime Day, Target Circle Deal Days, and Walmart Deal Days

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Malwarebytes, a global leader in real-time cyber protection, launched the Malwarebytes Scam Link Check, a free web tool that lets anyone check whether a website link is safe or dangerous before clicking it. Users paste any suspicious URL, the kind that arrives by text, email, chat, or social media, and the tool returns a clear safety result, along with the reasons behind it and recommended next steps. Malwarebytes Scam Link Check is available now at malwarebytes.com/scam-check/link. It is completely free, no download, payment, or login required.

Check a link: malwarebytes.com/scam-check/link

Scams have overtaken many traditional crimes in scale, with an estimated $442 billion lost to scams globally and roughly $21 billion lost by Americans alone in 2025. At the 2026 UN Fraud Summit, governments reported that cyber-enabled fraud run by organized crime now outweighs the global trade in weapons, drugs, and human trafficking combined. This is why Malwarebytes has committed to fighting scams and fraud with its anti-scam ecosystem.

Fake websites are the front door to much of that fraud. Malwarebytes research found that malicious websites such as phishing pages, counterfeit stores, and malicious ads, outnumber every other scam delivery method, ahead of email and text messages. Malwarebytes research also found that 85% of people say they can no longer reliably tell a scam from the real thing, up from 66% a year earlier.

"The thing most likely to drain your bank account today isn't a virus. It is a link that looks like it came from your bank, a delivery service, or a friend," said Mark Beare, Head of Consumer, Malwarebytes. "We've spent years asking people to become scam experts, and it hasn't worked, because scams evolve faster than anyone can track. Instead, we flipped the model. Rather than asking people to spot the scam, we give them an expert. Paste the link, get a straight answer, and know what to do next—free, in seconds."

How the Malwarebytes Scam Link Check works

The Malwarebytes Scam Link Check analyzes a submitted URL using the Malwarebytes threat intelligence ecosystem. It works like this:

• The user pastes or types the website URL into the tool at malwarebytes.com/scam-check/link.
• Malwarebytes scans the link and runs a deep analysis using its threat intelligence ecosystem, checking for malicious sites, phishing pages, freshly registered domains, and redirect chains that hide where a link really leads.
• Users receive a safety verdict such as safe, dangerous, or unknown, in seconds.
• Alongside the "Is this link safe" verdict, the tool shows:
  • A screenshot of the website, so users can see the page without visiting it.
  • The reasons behind the verdict, in plain language, so people learn why a link is considered safe or unsafe.
  • Recommended next steps, including what to do if they've already clicked.
  • An option to report a website, feeding new intelligence back to Malwarebytes to protect the next person and overall online community.
  • A direct entry point into Malwarebytes Scam Guard, the award-winning scam detection tool, for deeper help.

The Malwarebytes anti-scam ecosystem

The Scam Link Check is one entry point into a broader Malwarebytes anti-scam ecosystem that follows a simple arc, see what's exposed, shrink the attack surface, and get a result in the moment.

• Malwarebytes Digital Footprint: A free scan that reveals what personal information is already exposed from breaches and the dark web, using just an email address.
• Malwarebytes Personal Data Remover: Finds personal data being sold across a network of data-broker and people-search sites and automates its removal.
• Malwarebytes Scam Number Check: Quickly identifies whether a phone number is safe or potentially harmful with this free tool. People also can report suspicious or scam numbers to help make their community safer.
• Malwarebytes Scam Guard: Scam detector embedded within the Windows, Mac, web and mobile solutions, making it quick and easy to check if something is a scam and get cybersecurity guidance. It pairs the ease of an AI chat bot with the deep Malwarebytes threat intelligence expertise for 24/7 help. Free on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS; in the Browser Guard extension; on the web; and inside ChatGPT and Claude, just ask "@Malwarebytes, is this a scam?"

The need for more tools to fight scams is measurable. Malwarebytes Scam Guard flags roughly one in five submissions as high-risk, meaning they could lead to a loss of at least $1,000 or other personal harm.

Frequently asked questions

• How can I check if a link is safe before I click it?
  Paste the URL into the free Malwarebytes Scam Link Check at malwarebytes.com/scam-check/link. It scans the link against Malwarebytes threat intelligence and returns a safety verdict—safe, dangerous, or unknown—in seconds, along with a screenshot of the site and the reasons behind the verdict. No download or account is required. The site also will show a screenshot of website content. If the content is NSFW or not something a user wants to see, it will be blurred.

• How do I know if a URL is a phishing or scam website?
  Warning signs include links from unexpected texts or emails, misspelled or unusual domain names, freshly registered domains, and links that redirect through several sites. The Malwarebytes Scam Link Check automatically checks for these signals and tells people in plain language why a link is considered safe or unsafe.

• How do I check where a shortened URL actually goes? Can I trust shortened URLs?
  Shortened URLs can be useful for marketing and social media sharing, but they can also hide the final destination and make malicious links harder to spot. Before clicking a shortened URL, preview or expand it with a reputable link checker, such as Malwarebytes Scam Link Check, so you can see where it leads.

• How do I check a suspicious link on my phone?
  You can screenshot or copy the link and share with the Malwarebytes Scam Link Check. On your phone, press and hold the link to preview or copy it without opening it. You can then paste the URL into Malwarebytes Scam Link Check to check where it leads before you tap.

• What should I do if I already clicked a suspicious link?
  Don't enter any information on the page. Malwarebytes Scam Link Check provides recommended next steps, and Scam Guard can walk you through what to do such as changing a password, contacting your bank, or freezing your credit, with no blame and no shame.

• What is the difference between the Scam Link Check and Scam Guard?
  The Scam Link Check is a quick, free web tool for checking a single website URL. Scam Guard is the broader anti-scam assistant from Malwarebytes that also checks messages, phone numbers, and screenshots, and is available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, in the Browser Guard extension, on the web, and inside ChatGPT and Claude.

• Can I report a scam website to Malwarebytes?
  Yes. The Scam Link Check includes an option to report a website. Reports feed back into Malwarebytes threat intelligence, so a scam caught by one person becomes an early warning for the next.

To read more about the latest threats and cyber protection strategies, visit the Malwarebytes blog, or follow us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, and X.

About Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is reimagining security to safeguard devices, data, and people, no matter their location, lifestyle, or means. A global leader in online protection, its suite of award-winning cybersecurity, privacy, and identity solutions empower millions of people worldwide to enjoy their digital lives, free from threats and scams. Built and beloved by experts, Malwarebytes pairs a world-class team of threat researchers with proprietary AI-powered processes to supercharge and refine detections, providing unmatched protection against both known and unknown threats. Living up to its legacy, Malwarebytes continues to offer free tools that have long served as a first line of defense against malware and scams with new options for identity protection and data removal.

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Learn more: https://www.malwarebytes.com.

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SOURCE Malwarebytes