How to verify if an email's unsubscribe link/domain is not a phishing link

Question

By not clicking any "unsubscribe" links for years, I have reduced the amount of spam, hopefully due to the fact that some the databases where my email is have forgotten my email as obsolete.

Now for the few others left, I know that some of them must be valid unsubscribe links but I don't dare click on them and confirm that my email is still in use.

Any ways to verify if a link is good by using a list of valid domains like mailchimp, or by using a service that analyses the link for a "recognized" unsubscribe link?

Answer 1

There is no universal way - your best bet is to look at the sender and then make a call. You can also run the domain name through online reputation systems (like WOT) to help you make a more informed decision.

Another thing you can do is look at full headers and look at the path the email went through, and if the sender email mirrors the relay - most big reputable mail providers would have there own mail servers. (Also, you might want to see if the domain name has SPF associated with it - again something used by credible providers)

None of this is a guarantee - if in doubt, ignore it.