Where does this link go?

Got a short link, a QR code link or a suspicious link in WhatsApp, SMS or email? Paste it below and press Check. FernTool follows it for you, step by step, and shows where it really ends up, without you opening it. It also warns about common scam signs.

Try: youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ · http://google.com · http://wikipedia.org · http://github.com

✓ This link takes you to www.fnb.co.za.

Final page title: Easy & Efficient Personal, Family and Business Banking | FNB

✓ The final page uses HTTPS (encrypted).

Every step (1 redirect)

https://fnb.co.za/
HTTP 302 Found (temporary) · 1.90 s
https://www.fnb.co.za/
HTTP 200 · 1.81 s · final page

Is this the website you expected? If not, don’t open it. Check who owns fnb.co.za. Check again

JSON

{
  "ok": true,
  "start_url": "https://fnb.co.za/",
  "final_url": "https://www.fnb.co.za/",
  "final_host": "www.fnb.co.za",
  "final_status": 200,
  "final_title": "Easy & Efficient Personal, Family and Business Banking | FNB",
  "redirects": 1,
  "hops": [
    {
      "url": "https://fnb.co.za/",
      "status": 302,
      "ms": 1898,
      "type": "redirect"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.fnb.co.za/",
      "status": 200,
      "ms": 1813,
      "title": "Easy & Efficient Personal, Family and Business Banking | FNB"
    }
  ],
  "stopped": null,
  "same_site": true,
  "shortener": false,
  "domain_created": null,
  "domain_age_days": null,
  "verdict": "ok",
  "headline": "This link takes you to www.fnb.co.za.",
  "warnings": [],
  "good": [
    "The final page uses HTTPS (encrypted)."
  ],
  "clean_url": null,
  "tracking_removed": [],
  "checked_at": "2026-11-11T15:11:20.938Z"
}

What we check

Where it ends up: every redirect (301, 302, 307, 308 and page-refresh redirects), up to 10 steps, with the final page’s title.
Different website: whether the link ends on another site than it shows.
Brand-new domain: websites registered in the last 30 days, a very common sign of scams (from the public WHOIS/RDAP record).
Look-alike names: addresses using special characters to imitate brands (punycode, starting with xn--).
Bare IP addresses, no HTTPS, loops and long chains.
Tracking codes: we give you a clean copy of the final link without utm_, fbclid, gclid and similar codes.

Is it a scam link? Quick signs

The final website isn’t the company’s real address (for example fnb-secure-login.co instead of fnb.co.za).
The domain is only days or weeks old.
The message is urgent: “your account will be closed”, “parcel held”, “you’ve won”.
It asks for your PIN, OTP, password or card number. Real banks never ask for these by link.

If in doubt, don’t click. Open the company’s app or type its address yourself.

For website owners: redirects and SEO

Use a 301 (permanent) redirect when a page or site moves for good, so Google passes its ranking to the new address. Keep chains short: http → https → www should be one hop, not three. Avoid redirect loops and page-refresh redirects for important pages. Moving your site to a new domain? Also check the new DNS has spread with the DNS propagation checker.

Honest limits

We load each step once from FernTool’s server (Cloudflare’s network), as a basic browser would. Some links behave differently for real browsers, phones or certain countries, and redirects done with JavaScript aren’t followed. We don’t scan the final page for viruses. Results are kept for 60 seconds.

Frequently asked questions

How can I see where a short link goes without clicking it?

Paste it into the box above and press Check. Our server follows the link for you, hop by hop, and shows every address it passes through and the final page, so you never open it on your own device.

Is a link safe if this checker shows no warnings?

Not guaranteed. The checker shows where the link really goes and flags common warning signs (brand-new domains, look-alike names, bare IP addresses, no HTTPS, long redirect chains). It does not scan the final page for malware. If the final website isn’t the one you expected, don’t open it.

What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?

A 301 (or 308) is a permanent move: search engines pass the old page’s ranking to the new one. A 302 (or 307) is temporary: search engines keep the old address. For moving a website or page for good, use 301.

Why does my link go through so many redirects?

Common reasons are http to https, adding or removing www, a link shortener, click tracking (email and ad platforms), a login page and country-specific pages. Each hop adds delay; ideally a link reaches its final page in one redirect.

Can this check WhatsApp or SMS scam links?

Yes. Copy the link from the message (press and hold it, then Copy link) and paste it here. If it ends somewhere other than the real company’s website, or the domain was registered in the last few weeks, it’s almost certainly a scam.

Related tools and guides

API: GET /api/redirects?url=youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ · MCP tool trace_redirects.