When I read about a free webinar on small business cyber safety, I wanted to learn more about it.
I’ve attended several of the organization’s webinars in the past, so I knew I would walk away with actionable security tips.
But when I selected the shortened link from the organization, something unexpected happened.
The link went to one domain I didn’t recognize, which forwarded to another domain.
And then another domain.
Until it finally displayed a link to a survey site.
Which had nothing to do with the webinar.
The shortened link forwarded to four different domains!
None of the domains were owned by the organization announcing the webinar.
I knew something was wrong.
After visiting their website, I found the page for the upcoming webinar.
And contacted them to ask about the link:
Is that the correct link? The link redirects to 4 different domains before sending me to a survey site.
— Deborah Edwards-Onoro (@redcrew) August 20, 2018
Their reply was quick.
It is not. Thank you for alerting us. All promotion including this link is being taken down immediately.
Oops! Glad they acted quickly to remove the malicious link.
The organization was StaySafeOnline (Wayback Machine), powered by the National Cyber Security Alliance.
Oops!
I have no idea what happened or how an organization dedicated to helping people learn to stay safe online managed to have a link redirecting to four different domains.
And not their own site.
Yet it proves one thing: a malicious shortened link can happen to anyone or any organization.
It’s up to you to stay diligent.
Shortened URLs Save Time, But…
So what do you do?
Shortened URLs may save characters when you’re sharing a URL in your blog post or presentation.
But there’s good reason to be cautious, as demonstrated by what happened to me for the security webinar.
Shortened links can send you anywhere.
And that location could be the exact spot a hacker or spammer wants you to visit, so they can install a:
- Tracking app
- Malware
- Spyware
on your digital device.
Another scenario: a shortened link could be pointing to an 2GB PDF file that is immediately downloaded.
Which might not be an issue on your desktop.
But if you’re on a mobile device, and your expectation was the link was directing you to a web page, you’re going to be pretty frustrated with a 2GB download eating up your monthly data plan.
Yikes!
You want to take steps to protect yourself.
Read on to learn how to uncover the original site a shortened URL is pointing to.
How to Expand Shortened URLs
You’ll find a slew of free sites that expand shortened links. I’ve reviewed over a dozen over the years and many are no longer maintained.
Here’s the site I recommend as of December 3, 2025:
Unshorten.It
The free Unshorten.It has a very basic looking page.
Enter the shortened URL in their prominent form field and you’ll quickly receive the expanded URL, along with other helpful info including:
- Page description
- Safety ratings, provided by Web of Trust
- Screenshot of the page
- HPHosts blacklist listings
The Unshorten.It service is developed and maintained by Cameron Gray, who also created a Chrome extension for folks who use Chrome.
Summary
Shortened URLs can easily mask a malicious site and lead to problems. You always want to know where a shortened link is leading you to.
Use Unshorten.It to expand shortened URLs you see online. If you have other unshorten URL sites or apps you recommend, share your recommendations in the comments.
Originally published August 22, 2018 .
November 2, 2020: Updated with additional unshorten URL options.
December 3, 2025: Removed Link Unshorten and LinkExpander options.
Good tips. I use Duck Duck Go, and hadn’t even tried it there! This is a must for me because our state network blocks bit.ly and other shortened URLs. So I have to expand them to go somewhere from a trusted source. Thanks for the tips!
Hi Amy,
I’m not sure how I found the DuckDuckGo feature. But glad to know it’s there! It’s such an easy way to find out what that shortened link is pointing to. The other options are really helpful, too. Glad you liked the tips!