Find the real name
Look for the first single slash after the www part, or the end of the address if there is no slash. Just before that slash is the ending, like .com, .org, or .gov. The word right before that ending is the real owner of the page.
In irs.gov/payments, the owner is irs.gov. In amazon.com/orders, the owner is amazon.com. Everything after the slash is just a page on that site.
Read it from right to left
Scammers put a famous name at the start and their own name at the end, hoping you stop reading early. So start from the ending and work left.
- usps.com.track-parcel.info: the ending is .info, and the owner is track-parcel.info. This is not the Postal Service.
- paypal.secure-login.net: the owner is secure-login.net, not PayPal.
- medicare.gov.claims-update.co: the owner is claims-update.co. The real Medicare site is medicare.gov.
- ssa.gov/myaccount: the owner is ssa.gov, the real Social Security website.
Other tricks to watch for
- Swapped letters or numbers: rn instead of m, a zero instead of the letter o.
- Extra words added to a real name, like amazon-refunds or netflix-billing.
- Unusual endings like .top, .xyz, or .info on a message claiming to be your bank or a government agency.
- Short links that hide the real address. Treat them with extra caution when they arrive in a text from a stranger.
How to see a link without opening it
On a phone, touch and hold the link. A preview or the full address appears, and you can read it without visiting the page. Lift your finger away from the preview to close it. On a computer, rest the mouse pointer over the link and look at the bottom corner of the screen.
Stuck on a step?
Text Uncle at +1 208 214 0093 and tell him what you see on your screen. He walks you through it in plain words, one step at a time.
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Written by the Textuncle team. Last updated October 3, 2026.
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