A URL can display familiar Mars Market wording after the question mark while the actual registered domain belongs to someone else.
Locate the hostname boundary
Identify the registered domain before reading paths, queries or fragments.
Only the hostname determines the web destination being contacted.
Decode parameters cautiously
Encoded values can contain another URL, a redirect target or brand wording that is not part of the current origin.
Review the text without following an unverified nested destination.
Watch for open redirect patterns
Parameters named next, return, target or url may instruct a trusted-looking page to forward elsewhere.
The final destination needs its own provenance and domain review.
Remove tracking for comparison
Compare the clean canonical URL with the parameterized version to see which components are essential.
Do not publish a tracking-heavy link when a stable canonical record is available.
Describe the deceptive element
State whether the familiar wording appears in the domain, path or parameter and why that distinction matters.
Precise explanations help readers evaluate the claim without opening it.