A link checker compares a web address with lists of threats that security companies have already found. A warning is useful. A clear result tells you the address is not on those lists, which is a different thing from knowing the request behind it is real.
The short answer. A link checker compares an address with lists of known threats, so a warning is useful and a clear result is not proof. Also check the request: who is asking, any deadline, where the money goes, and whether you can reach the company another way.
Last reviewed 4 October 2026. Based on how Google describes its Safe Browsing service and on advice from the United States Federal Trade Commission.
What a link checker does
Google describes Safe Browsing as a service that lets applications check web addresses against Google’s constantly updated lists of unsafe web resources, such as pages that try to trick people into giving up logins and sites that host harmful software. Free link checkers from other security companies work along similar lines: they compare an address with what is already known about it.
What that can tell you
If an address is on a list, you have a clear reason to stay away, and a warning from a checker is worth acting on. Checking is quick, and it is a sensible habit before you open a link that arrived unexpectedly.
What it cannot tell you
This section is UtilForge’s own reasoning, and none of the services state it as their position. A list can only hold what someone has already found, so a page set up this morning may not be on it yet. A clear result also says nothing about the request. A real company’s page can be used to carry a fake payment request, and a brand-new page can be perfectly innocent.
The Federal Trade Commission’s advice on unexpected messages is about the request. Do not click links or give information in a message you were not expecting, and contact the company using a phone number or website you already know.
Questions about the request
- Who is asking, and how did the message reach you? An unexpected text or email about a payment is a reason to check, whoever it says it is from.
- Is there a deadline or a threat? Pressure to act quickly is a common feature of these messages.
- Where would the money go? A payment to new bank details, a gift card or cryptocurrency deserves a second look.
- Can you reach the company another way? Use a number printed on your card or an address you type yourself.
Before You Pay works through these questions on your own phone. It asks about the request and does not scan the address, so it sits alongside a link checker.
A routine that uses both
- Do not tap the link in the message. Type the company’s address yourself, or open its app.
- If you still want to look at the link, paste the address into a checker. Do not open it.
- Ask the four questions above.
- If you doubt it, contact the company on a number you already have.
If you have already tapped a link, what to do after clicking a link in a text lists the steps.
Sources
Related guides
Free
Check the request,
not just the link.
Before You Pay runs on your own phone or computer. What you type stays on your phone or computer.