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World desk3 min

Malwarebytes Launches Free Scam Link Check to Check URLs Before Clicking

Malwarebytes’ free Scam Link Check assesses suspicious URLs and returns a verdict, screenshot, explanation, and suggested next steps, according to the company.
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Malwarebytes’ Scam Link Check is a free web tool for checking a suspicious website URL before opening it. Announced on October 5, 2026, it accepts a pasted or typed link and, according to Malwarebytes, returns a safe, dangerous, or unknown verdict with a site screenshot, an explanation, and suggested next steps. The company says it requires no download, payment, or login.

What Malwarebytes Scam Link Check does

Malwarebytes says the checker uses its threat-intelligence ecosystem to assess submitted URLs for malicious sites, phishing pages, recently registered domains, and redirect chains that can obscure a link’s destination. The company says results arrive in seconds and include a screenshot of the site, plain-language reasons for the verdict, and recommended next steps. These are features described in Malwarebytes’ October 5, 2026 launch announcement, not independently verified performance findings.

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A result marked “unknown” matters: the checker does not promise that every URL will receive a definitive safe-or-dangerous classification. Malwarebytes’ announcement does not publish independent detection-accuracy, coverage, or false-positive measurements, so a “safe” verdict should not be treated as a guarantee that a page is harmless.

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How to check a suspicious link before opening it

  1. Go to Malwarebytes Scam Link Check.
  2. Enter or paste the URL you want to assess, then submit it for a result.
  3. Review the verdict, screenshot, explanation, and suggested next steps before deciding whether to visit the site.

On a phone, Malwarebytes advises pressing and holding a link to preview or copy its URL without opening it, then pasting the URL into the checker. Avoid tapping the link itself until you have assessed it.

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If you already opened a suspicious page

Do not enter personal, financial, or login information on a page you suspect is fraudulent. Malwarebytes says Scam Link Check provides recommended next steps and points users to Scam Guard for further guidance. Its examples include changing a password, contacting a bank, or freezing credit; which action makes sense depends on what information or access may have been exposed.

Scam Link Check vs. Scam Guard

Malwarebytes presents the two services as serving different needs. In its October 5, 2026 announcement, the company describes Scam Link Check as a web tool for assessing a single website URL, while Scam Guard is a broader assistant for suspicious messages, phone numbers, and screenshots. Malwarebytes says Scam Guard is available across listed mobile and desktop products, Browser Guard, the web, and ChatGPT and Claude. Those availability and feature descriptions are the company’s own.

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Can you report a scam website?

Yes. Malwarebytes says users can report a suspicious website through Scam Link Check and that reports feed back into its threat intelligence. The launch announcement does not explain how reports are moderated or processed, or how long report information is retained.

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What Malwarebytes has not disclosed

The launch announcement does not specify what information the service retains when someone submits a URL, how long it is kept, or what privacy controls are available. It also does not provide an independent evaluation of the checker’s accuracy. If URL privacy is a deciding factor, review the service’s applicable privacy information before submitting a link; the announcement alone does not settle those questions.

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Figures cited in the launch announcement

Malwarebytes’ announcement also cites estimated global scam losses of $442 billion and US losses of roughly $21 billion in 2025. It does not identify the underlying dataset or methodology in the announcement, so these are company-reported figures rather than independently verified estimates here.

The same release says roughly one in five Scam Guard submissions are flagged as high risk, defining high risk as a submission that could lead to a loss of at least $1,000 or other personal harm. Malwarebytes provides no sample size, measurement period, or methodology alongside that proportion.

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