Subdomain trick
Brand name placed in the left-hand labels of a host owned by someone else (login.brand.tld.other.tld).
How to spot it
- Brand appears to the left of the real registrable domain
- Long hosts with several dots
What to do
Apply the 4-step rule: ignore everything left of the last two labels; those two labels are the owner.
What the real thing looks like
- Genuine subdomains like login.brand.tld
Try an example
A practice example with fictional companies. Answer it, then see the tells.
Test yourself on eight more
The free quiz mixes scams with legitimate messages, like real life. No sign-up.