Is the Binance Short Link b.cool Still Trustworthy? Official Short Domain List

A friend sends you a short link like b.cool/xxxx, claiming it's an entry for a Binance campaign. On Twitter, you see a bnb.li/yyy link and wonder if clicking it will lead to a phishing site. The inherent opacity of short links naturally makes people wary. This note compiles the official short link domains Binance has used over the past few years to provide you with a reference list. To sign in directly, open the Binance Official Website; for app downloads, use the Binance Official APP; and for iPhone setup, refer to the iOS Installation Tutorial.

Why Short Links Carry High Risk

Short links are designed to shorten long URLs by mapping a "domain + hash code" to the actual long URL. This concealment of the final destination introduces three main risks:

• Users cannot see the target domain and cannot judge its safety before clicking.
• The destination of a short link can be changed at any time; it could point to an official site today and a phishing site tomorrow.
• Phishing actors can create fake domains that look similar to official ones (e.g., b1.cool, bcool.com).

The core strategy for dealing with this is: Resolve before you click.

Official Short Link Domains Used by Binance

The following table lists the short link domains used by various Binance business lines as of April 2026:

Note: binance.onelink.me is an official deep-linking service provided by AppsFlyer. All onelink.me subdomains are controlled by AppsFlyer, and Binance uses the "binance" sub-path.

Methods to Resolve Short Links

Method 1: Use "Unshorten" Tools Searching for "unshorten" in a search engine will reveal many free tools where you can paste a short link to see its final destination URL. Popular tools include unshorten.it and checkshorturl.com.

Method 2: Use curl or Browser Developer Tools In the Network panel of your browser's developer tools, you can inspect the "Location" header in the response after clicking a short link. To do this safely, right-click and "Open link in new tab," then immediately stop the page from loading. Decide whether to proceed only after seeing the 302 redirect target.

Method 3: Use the Binance APP's QR Recognition The Binance APP features a built-in QR code scanner that displays a preview: "You are about to open https://...". This is the safest way to verify links.

Method 4: Paste the Link into a Notepad Some phishing short links include tracking parameters like utm_source or ref. Paste the link into a plain text editor and carefully check if the domain is a legitimate official abbreviation.

Identifying Fake Short Links

Common patterns for fake short links:

Be extremely cautious if the domain does not perfectly match the official ones listed above. The barrier to registering short domains is low, making it easy for scammers to grab similar-looking names.

Scenarios Where You Encounter Official Short Links

• Promotional tweets from the official Binance Twitter (X) account.
• Links generated by the "Share" button on campaign cards within the APP.
• Entry points in official email marketing campaigns.
• Social sharing of educational content (Binance Academy).
• Referral links generated by the referral program.

These are all legitimate uses. However, you should be wary of:

• Short links sent by "Binance Support" in unofficial WeChat, QQ, or Telegram groups.
• "Internal welfare" short links found in comment sections on TikTok or Instagram.
• "Airdrop" links sent via private messages from strangers on Telegram.

Do Not Enter Information Immediately After Clicking

A short link will redirect you to a target URL, and that destination is what truly determines your safety. Even if the short link domain is b.cool, the destination could be a phishing site. Always perform this final check after the redirect:

• The destination must be one of: binance.com, binance.info, binance.bz, or accounts.binance.com.
• Any URL containing keywords like cn, china, login-bn, or bnsecure should be considered untrustworthy.
• If the destination is a form asking for your account and password, and you didn't navigate there through an official channel, close it immediately.

Complex Scenario: In-App Deep Links

Once installed, the Binance APP registers a deep link scheme (like binance://). Scanning certain QR codes or clicking specific short links will launch the APP instead of a browser. The advantages of deep links are:

• Bypassing the browser-based phishing layer.
• Opening the specific campaign page or coin details directly.
• No need for secondary logins.

However, deep links can also be exploited—malicious apps can register the same scheme to hijack the link. Tip: Check your system settings for "Default Apps" to ensure that binance:// is correctly associated with the official Binance APP.

Advice for Content Creators

If you are a crypto influencer sharing Binance activities:

• Prioritize using the short link generators provided by Binance; avoid using bit.ly (which makes it harder for users to verify).
• Include the destination URL in your sharing copy, for example: "Short link: b.cool/xxx, Destination: binance.com/activity/xxx".
• Do not use custom domains that use Pinyin for the sake of memorability, as they are easily spoofed.

FAQ

Q: Are Binance short links on bit.ly or t.co trustworthy? A: bit.ly is a general shortening service, not exclusive to Binance. t.co is the link service for Twitter/X; all tweet links are proxied by it. Both should be resolved before you judge their safety.

Q: Does the APP's QR scanner automatically detect fakes? A: The APP shows the target URL for you to confirm, but it doesn't automatically determine legitimacy; you must still use your own judgment.

Q: Can I click short links in emails directly? A: We recommend right-clicking to copy the link, resolving it using an unshortening tool first, and only clicking once confirmed.

Q: Can I see the destination of a short link without clicking it? A: Yes, browser extensions like "Long URL Please" can automatically expand them for you.

Further Reading

• List for Identifying Fake Domains
• Recognizing Fake Search Results
• Verifying SSL Certificate Fingerprints