Scam & phishing checker for Windows
Copy the suspicious text, e-mail or link and press Ctrl+V. Vow Scam Checker shows who it pretends to be, every warning sign it found (with the exact link or phrase), and the safe next step. Nothing you check is uploaded.
The problem
Perfect logos, real-looking links, a deadline in two hours. Telling a fake parcel text from a real one has become genuinely hard.
"Your parcel is on hold." "Unpaid toll." "Your account is locked." Scam texts copy the brands you deal with every week.
auspost-redelivery-au.com sounds right, paypa1.com looks right. Neither belongs to the company it names.
Online checkers want your message, with your name, number or account details in it, sent to their servers.
Deadlines, threats and "act within 24 hours" are designed to make you click before you check.
A red or green dot doesn't teach you anything, so the next scam is just as hard to spot.
Someone in the family has to be the scam help desk. They can't always answer straight away.
Vow Scam Checker fixes all of it.
How it works
A calm verdict in plain words, the reasons behind it, and the safe next step.
Copy the text message, e-mail or link, or press Win+Shift+S to snip a screenshot. QR codes and saved e-mail files work too.
Press Ctrl+V anywhere in the window. Text, links, screenshots and files are recognised and checked on your PC in a moment.
Read the verdict and the score, see every warning sign with the exact link or phrase, then follow the safe next step or report it.
Features
The tricks scammers use, caught and explained, so you learn to spot the next one yourself.
The real owner of each web address, checked against the official sites of about 150 banks, couriers, government agencies, toll roads and shops.
Swapped letters (paypa1, rnicrosoft), foreign alphabets, typo-squats, brand names inside someone else's address and official names used as decoys.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC proof, forged and lookalike senders, replies that go elsewhere, and risky attachments such as invoice.pdf.html.
40+ rules based on FTC, ACCC Scamwatch, NCSC, Get Safe Online and CAFC guidance: pressure, gift cards, one-time codes, remote-control apps and more.
The words in a screenshot or photo are read on your PC with Windows' own OCR, and QR codes in pictures are decoded and checked.
Strong signs, warnings and good signs, each in plain words with the exact link or phrase that triggered it, highlighted in the message.
The right reporting site and number for Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, one click away.
Send the report to a family member from your own e-mail program. Links in reports are made unclickable so nobody taps them by accident.
Check saved .eml and .msg files, whole folders and .mbox mailboxes in one go, each e-mail with its own verdict.
With Unlimited, a big, calm one-button screen for parents and grandparents, with an "Ask" button for the family helper.
Light & dark theme
Scam Checker comes with a crisp light theme and a calm dark theme. Switch with one click, or let it follow your Windows setting by itself. It remembers your choice.
Screenshots
Real screenshots of the real app, in both of its themes: 8 light, 8 dark. Click any picture to see it full size.
Light theme
Dark theme
Who it's for
Tell a real delivery text from a fake "redelivery fee" message before you tap anything.
Spot fake fraud alerts, "safe account" requests and log-in pages that copy your bank.
Family mode gives a big, simple check screen and an easy way to ask for help.
Catch fake renewal invoices and "our bank details have changed" e-mails before money moves.
Recognise romance openers, overpayment tricks and fake buyer links.
Check forwarded messages in seconds and send back a clear report anyone can read.
Compare
Why a private checker on your own PC beats pasting your messages into a website.
| Feature | Vow Scam Checker | Online scam checkers & link scanners |
|---|---|---|
| Your message is uploaded | Never: checked on your PC | Usually |
| Explains why | Every warning sign, with the exact phrase | Often just a score |
| Checks e-mail sender proof | SPF, DKIM and DMARC | Rarely |
| Reads screenshots and QR codes | Yes, on your PC | Not always |
| Tells you what to do next | Tailored advice and where to report | Sometimes |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Ads | None | Common on free sites |
| Price | 5 free checks a day, or $4.95 once | Free with ads, or a subscription |
"Typical" describes what we found across the most-downloaded alternatives when we built Scam Checker. Your mileage with any one of them may vary; ours won't.
Pricing
That is not a typo. Software this powerful usually means a monthly subscription; Scam Checker is $4.95, once, for life: it's almost a giveaway. Use it free for as long as you like, and unlock Unlimited only if you need more.
5 full checks a day, every warning sign explained.
Almost a giveaway. Less than a coffee for software this powerful: no subscription, no renewals, yours for life on 2 PCs.
Unlimited checks, browser button, copied-link warnings, Family mode.
Payments by Stripe: we never see or store your card. Questions? Ask a real person.
Clean software
Most "free" Windows downloads pay for themselves with ads, bundled extras or your data. Vow Scam Checker doesn't need to: it's paid for honestly, once, by the people who find it useful.
Download Scam Checker freeStep-by-step guide
From "is this real?" to a clear answer and the right next step, without uploading your messages anywhere.
Step 1: get it freeDownload it from this page and run the installer. There is no account and no administrator rights needed, and nothing you check ever leaves your PC.
Select and copy the text message, e-mail or link. For a message on screen, press Win+Shift+S and snip it; for an e-mail, saving it as a file also checks who really sent it.
The check runs straight away. You can also type into the big box and press Check it, drop a file on the window, or use the Screenshot button.
No warning signs, Be careful, Looks like a scam or Almost certainly a scam, with a 0-100 score, who it pretends to be, and every warning sign explained.
Read What to do, copy or save the report, send it to a family member with Ask someone, or open the official reporting site for your country.
Technical details
FAQ
Copy the message, open Vow Scam Checker and press Ctrl+V. In a moment you get a verdict, a 0-100 risk score, who the message pretends to be, every warning sign with the exact phrase or link, and what to do next. A screenshot of the message works too.
Yes. You get 5 full checks a day with every analysis feature, and checking the same message again that day is free. Unlimited, a one-time $4.95 USD payment, removes the limit and adds the browser button, copied-link warnings, whole-mailbox checks and Family mode.
No. Messages, e-mails, pictures and links are analysed on your PC. The only optional online check, off by default, follows a short link on its shortening service and looks up a website's age, sending only the website's name.
Yes. Paste the e-mail, its source, or open a saved .eml or Outlook .msg file to also check the sender's proof (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), the reply address and any attachments. Whole folders and .mbox mailboxes can be checked in one go.
It means none of the checks found a warning sign, and links that go to the brand's official website are shown as good signs. No checker can catch every scam, so if a message asks for money, codes or passwords, contact the company on a number or app you already trust.
Australia (Scamwatch, ReportCyber, 7226), the United States (FTC, IC3, 7726), the United Kingdom (Action Fraud, NCSC, 159), Canada (CAFC), New Zealand (NCSC NZ, 7726) and Ireland (Garda).
An Unlimited feature for parents and grandparents: a big, calm screen with one button that checks whatever they copied, a clear answer, and an "Ask" button that sends the result to the family member who helps them.
Yes. It is made and published by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company. There are no ads, no bundled software and no account, it needs no administrator rights, and it uninstalls cleanly from Windows Settings.
The Vow collection
Same design, same promises, a tiny one-time price. Learn one and you already know them all.
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Find adware, malware and browser hijacks, and remove them free
Shred files so no recovery tool can bring them back
Is this text, e-mail or link a scam? Paste it and find out, privately. Free to use every day, $4.95 once if you ever want Unlimited.
