Not sure if a Prime Day deal is legit? Malwarebytes has a free link checker
[post_content]
Disclaimer: This article has been automatically aggregated from
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is about to kick off, which means shoppers are going to see plenty of emails, texts, ads, and social posts promising limited-time discounts. Scammers know the drill too. Fake shopping sites can now copy familiar brands, recreate convincing storefronts, and use AI-generated images or polished copy to make a bad link look legitimate at first glance.
Malwarebytes has launched Scam Link Check, a free tool for checking a questionable URL before opening it. Paste in an address and the service analyzes where it leads and looks for signs that something is wrong.
You can inspect the link before visiting the site
Scam Link Check looks for phishing pages, recently registered domains, suspicious redirects, and other signals associated with malicious websites. The result comes back as safe, dangerous, or unknown, along with an explanation of what Malwarebytes found.
The tool can also generate a screenshot of the website without requiring you to visit the page yourself. That could be useful when a link claims to lead to a familiar retailer but the address does not look quite right. No account, download, or payment is required. Malwarebytes also provides guidance if a site is flagged or if you have already opened the link.
Prime Day gives scammers plenty of opportunities
Big sales events give fraudsters useful cover because shoppers are already expecting flash discounts, unfamiliar stores, and messages telling them to act quickly. The urgency plays into the scam. A deal that appears ready to disappear can leave less time to stop and check where the link actually leads.
Malwarebytes says malicious websites are now the most common scam delivery method it sees, ahead of email and text. Its research also found that 85% of people said they can no longer reliably tell a scam from legitimate content, while 22% said AI-generated or enhanced product photos or reviews had misled them.
A link checker should not replace basic caution. Look closely at a store’s domain for misspellings or extra characters, and be wary of shortened links that hide their destination. A padlock in the address bar does not guarantee that the website itself is legitimate either, since phishing sites can use HTTPS too. If a deal arrives through a text, email, or social post, going to the retailer’s official website yourself is still the safer option.
RELATED COVERAGE:
for informational purposes only. We do not claim ownership, accuracy, or liability for the content provided. All rights belong to the original publisher.