A social-profile link uses a lookalike domain

Read the host as literal text before you tap

When a profile sends a link, resist the urge to open it. Copy the web address into a notes screen, or simply read it character by character. The part that matters most is the hostname: the segment immediately before the first single slash after the protocol. Look for extra words, hyphens, or an ending that differs from the official domain you already use. If the host contains an added word or a different ending, treat it as unverified and pause. This is editorial guidance for reading text, not a test of any product and not a judgment about the person who sent it.

• Copy the link into plain text; do not tap it.
• Identify the hostname immediately before the first single slash.
• Compare it letter by letter with the official domain you already know.
• If anything differs from the official host, decline the link and verify through the official app.

Open the official app independently, not through the link

The safer path is to close the message and launch the official app or type the official website address yourself. Phishing messages try to obtain sensitive account or financial information, and a provider should be contacted through its independently known website or phone number rather than through a suspicious message. Multi-factor authentication adds account protection. [FTC: How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams]

• Close the chat or message without clicking.
• Launch the official app from your device home screen.
• Type the official address manually if you need the website.
• Consider enabling multi-factor authentication if an option is available to you.

Use a domain-reading example without visiting the link

Suppose a hypothetical profile sends a message saying, “Verify your profile here: example-verify.example.” You do not open it. In your notes, you write the full host, example-verify.example, and compare it with the official domain you already use, which in this hypothetical is example.example. One visible difference appears: the word verify, joined by a hyphen, was added to the official name. In a second hypothetical, imagine the shown host ended in a different final segment from the official domain; that would be a separate visible difference, not the same one. Either way, the visible difference is enough to decline the link and use the official app independently to check whether any real verification notice exists there. This example is hypothetical and editorial; it is not a product test or an investigation, and a difference in text does not prove bad intent.

• Write the full hostname on paper or in a notes app.
• Write the official domain you already know next to it.
• Mark where the two differ in words, hyphens or ending.
• Treat the difference as a reason to decline the link and verify in the official app, not as a conclusion about the person.

A three-column decision table for a lookalike host

Use this editorial table to turn a hostname observation into a simple next action. The table is a decision aid, not a diagnosis of the person, a guarantee about any link, or a test that confirms whether a host is safe. Actions vary by row and by what you have already done. In every row, the safer path is to reach the platform through the official app rather than through the supplied link, and neither reading the text nor reporting the profile confirms who runs a host.

Stop contact, report, and protect the account

If a profile sends a lookalike domain, stop the conversation and report the profile through the official app. Suspicious profiles should be reported and suspicious contact stopped. If you entered card details on a lookalike site or see charges you do not recognize, contact your card issuer or bank promptly about suspected fraudulent transactions. [FBI/IC3: New Verification Schemes Target Users of Online Dating Platforms] [FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed]

• Report the profile in the official app.
• Stop replying to the sender.
• If card details were entered or charges look unfamiliar, contact your card issuer promptly.
• If money was sent, prioritize your payment provider and reporting; further profile searches cannot recover funds.

An editorial stopping rule for reading hosts

Use a simple editorial stopping rule: if the hostname visibly differs from the official domain you already know by an extra word, hyphen or ending, decline the link and reach the platform through the official app instead. This is guidance to reduce risk. It is not an authoritative test, it does not confirm that a host is safe or unsafe, and it is not proof of dishonesty. Do not ask the profile to explain the link, do not “test” the page, and do not enter credentials or card details to check whether it works. Open the official app independently and see whether any real notice exists there. If nothing appears, ignore the message and keep the conversation closed. An exact-match host still calls for independent app use rather than tapping the link, because reading text cannot confirm what a page will do.

• Pause on any visible difference in the hostname.
• Do not test suspicious pages with real credentials.
• Verify only through the official app.
• Treat a text match as a reason to use the app, not as confirmation.

A couple more questions