Critical risk detected
Established URL shortener (since 2007) with legitimate business operations, but widely misused for phishing and malware distribution by bad actors. Our security stack flagged multiple threat indicators on this website. Don't enter personal information, deposit money, or download files.
Is is.gd legit or a scam?
Established URL shortener (since 2007) with legitimate business operations, but widely misused for phishing and malware distribution by bad actors.
These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.
Analysis Summary
MT Intelligence
is.gd is a genuine, long-running URL shortening platform operated by UK hosting provider Memset and registered in 2007 — nearly 18 years of continuous operation. The domain has valid SSL, clean hosting-IP reputation (0 abuse reports), and active business registration. However, the service is frequently weaponised by attackers: multiple community reports document phishing links (Steam gift card scams, game profile spoofs), malware delivery, spam, and binary option fraud created via is.gd. The single antivirus detection (Chong Lua Dao) likely reflects a specific malicious link rather than the shortener itself. Independent aggregators rate the service as legitimate with average-to-good trust scores, and is.gd's official policy explicitly prohibits spam and malicious use with active enforcement. The core risk is not the platform but the shortened links it hosts — users must treat any is.gd link with caution and preview it before following.
Website Preview
Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site.
Web Research Findings
Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for is.gd, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.
- is.gd is a long-established (registered 2007, ~18 years old) URL shortening service operated by UK hosting provider Memset; links last indefinitely if compliant with terms.
- Actively combats abuse with blacklists (e.g. SURBL), permanent non-editable links to prevent bait-and-switch, prominent warning pages on flagged spam/phishing links, and rapid complaint investigation.
- Frequently misused by third parties for phishing (e.g. Steam gift card scams), malware delivery, spam, and binary option fraud; multiple WOT reviews cite specific phishing incidents via is.gd links.
- Scamadviser rates "Very Likely Safe" with average-to-good trust score citing high traffic (Tranco 500), longevity, valid SSL; notes mixed reviews and Pulsedive elevated risk.
- WOT community score ~4.2/5 (83% algorithm/child safety) but many negative reviews warn of "potentially malicious links created by third parties", spam, and viruses.
- Netcraft (2014) ranked it 5th phishiest shortener at the time (behind tinyurl.com); recent 2025 Cofense report notes use in malware campaigns (e.g. info stealers).
- Official policy states "no relationship with spammers" and prohibits spam/malicious use; sister site v.gd shows preview pages by default for added safety.
- MyWOTopen
"I have seen people get phishing links that were made on is.gd, of a "steam" gift."
- MyWOTopen
"I got a link to site on is.gd which was a phishing site"
- MyWOTopen
"I got sended a game profile link using is.gd, It's a scam."
- MyWOTopen
"Scam - spam, virus. Вирусы, спам и мошенничество."
- MyWOTopen
"this site is abused by spammers: spamvertized blurring redirctor for: binary option scam, Beware!"
- Scamadviseropen
"It seems that is.gd is legit and safe to use and not a scam website. ... has an average to good trust score."
- MyWOTopen
"This url shortener might redirect to malicious software BUT they did a great job to filtering them"
- is.gd Spam Policyopen
"We hate spam usage of our service and is.gd has no relationship with spammers. ... do everything we can to prevent it."
Operated by Memset (UK hosting provider); domain registered 2007 via Gandi SAS, expires 2028; WHOIS shows US/SD but historically tied to UK company
Community review sites report multiple phishing incidents via is.gd-shortened links, including Steam gift card scams and game profile spoofs. Users also report malware delivery and spam abuse. However, independent trust aggregators rate is.gd as a legitimate service with average-to-good trust scores, citing its 18-year history, high traffic ranking, valid SSL, and active anti-spam enforcement. The service's official policy explicitly prohibits malicious use and states it actively combats abuse. The consensus is that is.gd itself is a legitimate platform frequently misused by third parties for phishing and malware distribution.
Antivirus Engines
Security Scans
Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.
Domain & Encryption
Redirect Chain
- 1301http://is.gd/
- 2403https://is.gd/
Server Reputation
Scam-Type Likelihood
1 scam-type patterns detected
0 of 13 categories showed signals
We check every URL against 13 distinct scam categories so the verdict tells you not just how risky the page is, but what kind of risk it carries. Each meter pulls from page signals, web reports, our AI analyst, vision, and the scam-network cluster — not from raw AV labels.
- AI analyst tagged this as phishing.
0 of 13 categories showed signals
We check every URL against 13 distinct scam categories so the verdict tells you not just how risky the page is, but what kind of risk it carries. Each meter pulls from page signals, web reports, our AI analyst, vision, and the scam-network cluster — not from raw AV labels.
- AI analyst tagged this as phishing.
Phishing site — act fast
This page shows signs of attempting to steal credentials or impersonate a trusted brand.
- Do not interact with is.gd
Do not enter credentials, deposit money, download files, or install browser extensions from this site.
- If you already typed your password — change it now
Change the password on the legitimate site and anywhere else you re-used it. Turn on two-factor authentication. Review recent account activity.
- OpenReport the phishing URL
APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group) accepts phishing reports at reportphishing@apwg.org. Google Safe Browsing reports help protect other users.
- OpenGet help on the forum
MalwareTips members can help you assess damage and next steps.
Reputation Sources
How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.
Safety FAQ
Common questions about this site, answered from the scan data on this page. These are auto-generated — not hand-written — so they always match the underlying report.
- Our automated security review flags is.gd as dangerous. Multiple threat indicators were detected — treat the site as a scam until proven otherwise.
- No — is.gd scored 25/100 on our trust scale. We detected active threat indicators, so we recommend avoiding the site entirely.
- Yes. is.gd presents a valid TLSv1.2 certificate issued by Google Trust Services · WE1, expiring in 38 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
- is.gd is 18.7 years old, registered on 9/11/2007 through Gandi SAS. Scam domains are often freshly registered — a site under 6 months old warrants extra caution.
- 1 out of 92 antivirus engines in our malware network flagged is.gd as malicious or suspicious (1 outright malicious). Even one detection is a meaningful signal.
- No. is.gd is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
- is.gd resolves to an IP operated by Cloudflare, Inc. in US (usage type: Content Delivery Network). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.
- We cache results for 24 hours. Signed-in MalwareTips members can trigger a manual rescan at any time using the "Rescan" button on the report page, which re-runs every check from scratch and refreshes this page.
User reviews & comments(0)
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