Where does this QR code go?
Paste a link, or drop a picture of the QR code. You see the real website name and every part of the address, without opening it.
Or drop a picture of the QR code
or paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V)a screenshot, a photo, or a picture someone sent you
The picture is read on your device. No link is opened or visited by this page.
Point the camera at the code
Checked. In the app this check runs on every scan: you see the real website and any warning before a link opens.
The iPhone app- 01
Paste or scan
Paste the link into the box, or drop a screenshot or photo of the QR code.
- 02
Look at the big name
The large line is the website the link really opens. Check it is the company you expect, letter by letter.
- 03
Read the signs
Any warning signs are listed with what they mean. Tracking tags and other details in the address are shown below.
How to read a web address
The part that matters is the website name just before the first single slash, read from the right. In shop.example.co.uk/offer, the website is example.co.uk. Everything to the left of it (shop.) is chosen by whoever owns example.co.uk, and everything after the slash can say anything at all.
That is why tricks work: paypal.com.account-help.top is a site called account-help.top, and the words in front are decoration. This checker pulls that real name out and shows it big, so you don't have to work it out on a small screen.
What it looks for
Short links that hide the destination, letters swapped for lookalikes (paypa1, rnicrosoft), letters from other alphabets, a brand name in the wrong place, an @ that hides the real address, bare number addresses, unencrypted http, file downloads, cheap endings often seen in scam reports, and links that bounce you on to a second site.
It only reads the text of the address. It never visits the link, so it can't see what the page itself shows, and it can't tell you a site is honest. No warning signs means none of these tricks are in the address.
Found it on a meter, parcel or in an email? Use the scam checker
How can I see where a QR code goes without opening it?
Read the code without opening it: drop a picture of it here, or use a scanner app that shows the link first. The checker then splits the address so you can see the real website name.
Is my QR code safe?
No tool can promise that. This checker shows the real destination and flags the usual tricks in the address. If a code asks you to log in or pay, the safest move is to type the company's address yourself or use its app.
What does a short link like bit.ly mean?
The real address is stored on the short-link service and you only see it after it opens. Short links are common on posters, but they also hide scams. Our checker can't follow it without visiting it, so it marks it as a sign.
Does this open or visit the link?
No. It only reads the text you paste or the code in your picture. The page never loads the website, so nothing on that site can run.
What are utm and fbclid in a link?
Tracking tags. They tell the website which ad, email or poster you came from. They are common and harmless on their own, but they make links long and harder to read.
Why does a dynamic QR code go through another website first?
Dynamic QR services store the real address on their server so it can be changed later. You see the service's name first, and the final page only after it opens. That is normal for marketing codes.
QR Code Scan KitComing soon
