How to check a suspicious domain

What to look at before trusting a domain you don't recognize.

By AlertaSpam Security Team. Published August 7, 2026

Compare the domain character by character against the real one — look-alike domains often swap a letter for a similar one, add a hyphen, or add an extra word ('yourbank-secure.com' instead of 'yourbank.com').

Check how old the domain looks and whether it has any track record. A domain registered days ago with no history is riskier than one that has existed for years, though age alone doesn't prove anything either way.

Look it up on AlertaSpam's domain page to see any community reports or technical source listings, and use the link checker rather than visiting an unfamiliar link directly.