Does HTTPS Mean a Website Is Safe?
No. HTTPS is an important security feature, but it does not mean the website itself is trustworthy or harmless.
What HTTPS does
HTTPS encrypts data between your browser and the website and helps confirm that you connected to the hostname shown in the address bar. This protects against some forms of interception and tampering.
What HTTPS does not do
HTTPS does not verify that a store will deliver a product, that a login page belongs to the brand it imitates, or that a download is harmless. Scam sites can receive valid certificates and display a padlock.
Check the hostname, not just the padlock
Read the full hostname for misspellings, misleading subdomains, Punycode, raw IP addresses, and @-symbol user information. Also consider how you received the link and what the page asks you to do.
Use trusted navigation for sensitive accounts
For banking, payroll, email, and other important accounts, open the known app or type a saved official address instead of following an unexpected message link.
Check a suspicious link
Paste the URL into the local Link Checker to inspect its structure without visiting the website.
Check a Link