How to check if a Web site is safe

-Have you ever been phished? Whether you use a Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android, there's a real strong chance that somebody has sent you an e-mail or text message in an attempt to get you to turn over your personal information. I'm Seth Rosenblatt for CNET and today I'm going to show you some excellent ways to make sure that you don't get victimized online. Data equals money and you're a big all dollar sign for the bad guys, so first up, browse smart. Always double check the URL of your banking site before you log in and look to the left of this location bar to verify it's legit. This is tripling through when going through your bank from an e-mailed link. In fact, let's just agree now to never ever, ever do that again. If you bank e-mails you a link, ignore it and type in your bank URL by hand, but what about that link to some ostensibly hilarious video your best friend just posted on your Facebook wall. There are several services you can use to verify a link. There is Google safe browsing. Type google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?siteequals and then the site name or the IP address to find out if it is hosted malware in the past 90 days. Another similar service is HP host at host-file.net into our site, into the search box, and its database will tell you if the site has been used to distribute malware of phishing attacks. HP host gives more detailed information than Google safe browsing if you're into that kind of thing. Two other excellent services are Norton safe web from Symantec at safeweb.norton.com and unmaskparasites.com. Pop in the URL and you're too good to go or if the site comes back as unsafe, don't go. Many security suites come with browser add ons to check links you can click on the fly and those works fairly at scanning your search results and adding icons to indicate if a link is safe or not. If you don't have a suite AVG's link scanners are free add on that works with both Windows and Mac, and AVG's free mobilization android app will block malicious links there. iPhone and iPad users, you're out a luck. There are no link checking apps I could find for iOS probably because iOS is face Apple says. If you know of one, let me know. So, those are few tips on how you can stay off the hook creepzoids after you box. For CNET, I'm Seth Rosenblatt