Clicking on Links
Hi, everyone! Welcome to our forum discussion on clicking links safely. Links are everywhere online — in messages, forums, emails, and chats. But with so many circulating, it can be tricky to know which ones are safe and which ones could be harmful. So, let’s talk about what to watch out for and how to protect ourselves! 🔗🚦
What are links?
Links (or “URLs”) are what we click on to move from one page to another online. They can take us to useful resources, funny videos, or interesting articles — but they can also hide dangerous sites, scams, or malware.
Why is being careful with links important?
If we click unsafe links, we could put ourselves at risk of viruses, stolen data, or scams. Sometimes links are disguised to look safe, but they actually lead somewhere harmful. Protecting ourselves means making smart choices before we click 🖱️
What should we consider before clicking a link?
Check the source: do you trust the person or place sending the link?
Hover first: if you hover over the link (on desktop), you can see where it really goes
Look closely: fake links often use slight misspellings (like “g00gle” instead of “google”)
Avoid shortened links: services like bit.ly can hide the real destination.
Stay on the platform: if you’re unsure, don’t leave the app or site you’re already using
How can we reinforce safe link habits?
Pause before clicking: give yourself a moment to evaluate
Ask for clarification: if someone sends a link, you could always ask, "What's this for?" before opening
Use security tools: keep antivirus software and browser protections turned on
Trust your instincts: if something doesn't feel right, don't click it
Overall Message
Clicking links might feel small and casual, but it can carry big risks if we’re not careful. Staying safe means being mindful and cautious every time — protecting not just ourselves, but also our devices and personal information.
Useful Links 🦺
Questions To Consider…
What are some strategies you personally use to make sure a link is trustworthy before clicking?
What role does trust play when deciding whether to click a link from someone?
@Rebekah
Great subject.
I am an IT Manager so link safety is number one priority.
Always make sure the link is from a trusted source. Never click on links that come from unknown people especially if it's sent to your email, texts.
On Cups, I am guilty of posting links but only to 1 trusted source and that is YouTube for Music Videos.
@braindamag3, thank you for your important insight there! YouTube links are a-okay (as long as the content in the videos is suitable, which I'm sure it all is).
Hey thanks for the post buddy ☺️ 😄
@lightBirch2565, of course!
@Rebekah
Thanks for the reminder and explanation too! Great post Rebekah!
Another way link destinations are hidden and are harder to check is like this Here which we all do and is often seen in the forums. Any advice on making these neat links safer?
@MistyMagic This would have been an iconic Rick Roll link!
You don’t wanna know how many times I tapped that XD
@MistyMagic, excellent question! One thing I'd suggest is to look at where the texted-URL goes. For me, that's in the bottom left corner of the window, where it shows the full link. Also, I agree with Pencil (@PencilMadison), that would have been a great Rick Roll :D
@Rebekah This is a great thing to keep in mind! I also suggest always going to the site directly through the search bar if you know where to find it and trust the site. For instance, if it is a page on a platform you are used to and can directly search, that is often safer!
@PencilMadison
Yes, I use this. If it is a great idea and really something useful, it's worth the time to go and find it myself.
If I cant be bothered to search fir it, or there is insufficient info to tell me where or what, it probably wasn't worth my time anyway.
@PencilMadison, good idea!
@Rebekah
excellent tips. thank you Rebekah!
@Rebekah I used to put my links in the lovely link edit format cups allows (this paperclip thingy), but after experiencing the same hold up moment when someone used it, not knowing the person or where it leads, feeling unsure about it, I decided I won't be using that feature anymore, and will keep it for the official cups staff/ambassadors to link things through if the link makes the user leave the cups site, especially since some people here have to be very careful with their off cups activities for their own reasons. So decided while putting the entire link up doesn't look that good, it allows for both my friends and strangers who encounter my post/comment the freedom to make an informed decision, if they want to visit the websites it leads to or not 😊
@sadcat13, that's a really well-thought notion! Thank you for sharing your experience 💙
@Rebekah 🌻😊
@Rebekah
Thank you for sharing 💕 💜
@Rebekah
This is such an important reminder because phishing attempts are everywhere these days. We can never be cautious enough.
Personally, I also always consider how much I trust the person on the other end. If you only just messaged me the first time, and send a suspicious link, I won't click it.
There's something contradictory about the approach links are shared with new listeners though. This post rightly warns about the risk of shortened links. However, the new listener links that have been sent to me this week have also been shortened with such a service. It might be better to share the Google Doc directly for that matter. But I wouldn't know who to discuss this with.
@NorasNook, good points here, Nora!
Trust is an important factor, you're right. I run every link through the NordVPN link checker before I click them, unless I know the person well.
With the new listener links -- I agree. That's why I 99.56% of the time use the full link and not a shortener, because for all anyone knows, that link I'm sending could be a Rick Roll or something worse 👀
There’s something worse than a Rickroll???? ;)
Adding to this:
If you click on links on the app (not the website!), it will say something like, “Are you sure you want to leave 7Cups?” And it will also show you exactly where the link will lead to. This has been SO helpful to me when I’m unsure if a link is safe to click <3
@jesusredeemedme2425, that's good!
It cracked me up, "click here to find out why we shouldn't click links." I asked myself, "should I click this link?" 😉 I have quite a few links memorized, yet even with them, ya gotta be careful because a single wrong case letter in an otherwise valid looking link can lead you into trouble.
My passwords to financial institutions are stored on an encrypted flash drive, so they're not available if my machine gets hacked. If the passwords are just for retailers, I let the browser store them.
Recently someone posted an "official notification," that an arrest warrant was issued, due to not showing up as a witness, and in order to avoid jail, it was necessary to post a 7k bond. It really did look official, even to the extent that the actual graphics/icons were lifted off of a legitimate district court page. Again, it was a "click here to pay" scam. They actually used a real judge's name as well. I poked around a bit and found that the judge was in one state (Tennessee), while the "court's" address was in another (Florida). So, I think they made a boiler plate scam document, using the name of one judge, but in an attempt to make it look legitimate, they inserted addresses of local courts around the nation.
@Spiritriver, well done for being so vigilant! It sounds like you take safety very seriously 🌟