Links From WhatsApp or Telegram: Check First
Forwarded messages and group chats are a common way look-alike pages reach people, because each person trusts the one before. Copy the link without opening it, check the address, and only then decide whether to tap.
Copy the link without opening it
Tapping a link “just to see” is a step you cannot take back. A page can start a download or ask for your number before you have read a word. So copy first, and open nothing.
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| Android phone, in the app | Press and hold the link until a menu appears. Choose Copy link or Copy link address. If the menu only offers to copy the whole message, do that, paste it into the box, and delete the words around the link. |
| iPhone | Touch and hold the link, then choose Copy (some apps say Copy Link). Do not choose Open. |
| WhatsApp Web or Telegram Desktop | Right-click the link and choose Copy link address. Telegram Desktop may word it Copy Link. |
Menu names change between apps, phone makers and versions, so treat this as the usual route, not a promise. Then paste the link, on its own, into the login link checker and tap Check this link.
Some chat apps let a sender hide an address behind ordinary words. Copying the link gives you the address itself, not the words.
Read the address, not the preview card
The picture, title and one-line description in a preview card are supplied by the page the link points to. Whoever runs that page decides what they say, so a card can show a familiar logo and the word “Login” above any address at all. Ignore the card. Read the address underneath, or let the checker read it.
Invite links to groups and channels
An invite link opens a chat. It is not a login page. Its address is an ordinary one on the chat app’s own site, so the checker usually shows Low with no warning signs. The checker reads only the text of an address, so that Low says nothing about who runs the group. Anyone can start a group, and its admins can post new links whenever they like, so check each link posted inside a group on its own. Groups that sell colour predictions have their own page: signal groups.
A few chat links begin with the app’s own prefix, such as tg://, instead of https://. The checker cannot read those and answers “Can’t read this”. Ask the sender for the https version, or leave it.
When a friend’s account sends it
A link from a saved contact does not prove the contact sent it. When a chat account is taken over, the thief often writes to people in its contact list, so the message arrives under a name you trust. The signs: a link with no context, a request that is out of character, a hurry, or wording that does not sound like them.
Check with the person by another route. Phone them, or ask in person. Do not ask in the same chat, because the thief can answer for them. Then tell them, so they can secure the account.
Five messages that should make you stop
Scam messages differ in detail, but most lean on one of five tricks. The wording below is made up.
| Pattern | Sounds like | Why stop |
|---|---|---|
| Urgency | “Your account closes in one hour.” | A deadline is there to stop you checking. A real problem can wait the minute a check takes. |
| A limited bonus | “Bonus for the first members who log in today.” | Scarcity is cheap to invent. Bonus pages are a favourite place to ask for your number and a code. |
| “Log in again” | “Session expired, log in again here.” | An expired session usually shows up as a sign-in screen in the app or page you were using, not as a chat message. A password typed where the message points goes to whoever built that page. |
| “Verify now” | “Verify your account or it will be blocked.” | Threats are pressure. At the time of writing (8 October 2026), the platform’s own help-centre guide says it will never ask for sensitive information by email or on unsecured sites. The same caution fits a chat message. |
| A prize | “You won a lucky draw. Tap to collect.” | You cannot win a draw you never entered. Collect pages often ask for a number, a code or a fee. |
Whatever the pattern, the move is the same: copy the link, check it, and ask yourself whether you expected the message.
If you already tapped
- Close the page without typing anything. If a file started downloading, do not open it. Delete it from your Downloads.
- If you typed a password, change it now. Open the service by typing its address yourself, and change the same password anywhere else you used it.
- If you typed or read out an OTP (a one-time code sent by SMS), treat that account as exposed. Change its password and look at its recent activity. If you gave card or UPI details, call your bank straight away to block the card or UPI ID.
- If money has already left, call 1930, the national cyber-fraud helpline, and report it at cybercrime.gov.in.
- If an app was installed, see permissions to refuse. The after-a-scam timeline puts the rest in order of urgency.
Common questions
Is joining a WhatsApp group or Telegram channel from an invite link risky?
Joining opens a chat. It does not log you in anywhere. The risk is what people there ask you to tap, install or pay. Treat every link posted inside as a new link, and leave if the group keeps pushing you to act fast.
Why does the checker show Low for a group invite?
The address is an ordinary one on the chat app’s own site, with none of the warning signs the checker looks for. Low describes the text of the invite only. It cannot see who runs the group or what they post.
What if the person who sent the link says it is fine?
Check it anyway. If their chat account has been taken over, the reassurance comes from the thief. Ask them by phone or in person, not by replying in the same chat.
Can I paste the whole message into the checker?
No. It reads one web address. A whole message makes the box answer “Can’t read this”. Copy only the link, or paste the message into a notes app first and cut away the extra words.
What if the message shows only a preview card and no address?
Press and hold the message and copy its text, then paste it into a notes app. The address will be in the text. If there is none, the card is hiding a button or an image link, so ask the sender for a plain link or leave it.