Speeder.biz POP-UP Scam
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "speeder.biz"?
speeder.biz is a deceptive website designed to trick people into believing that they can obtain a smartphone free of charge. This is a scam website and should not be trusted.
Typically, people do not visit websites of this type intentionally - they are opened by installed potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) installed on their system. Most PUAs also gather information and deliver advertisements.
Once opened, performanceer.biz displays a pop-up window stating that Google wants to thank visitors for their loyalty and provide them with a Galaxy S9, iPhone X, or iPhone XS as a reward. When the pop-up is closed, performanceer.biz displays a page stating that visitors can claim this reward by completing a short and anonymous survey.
People are encouraged to take this survey immediately, since the number of gifts is limited. It states that if a user does not claim the reward, it will be given to another Google user. To take the survey, people are encouraged to visit one more dubious websites where they are asked to sign up by entering their email addresses and passwords.
Any entered details are likely to be shared with other parties and misused to generate revenue. Note, Google has nothing to do with this scam and all these statements (regarding being the winner of a smartphone) are simply attempts to trick people into providing their email addresses and various other credentials.
If visited accidentally or otherwise, this website should be closed immediately. If it cannot be closed normally, use Task Manager and end the browser process from there. Note: do not restore the previously closed session the next time the browser is opened.
Generally, PUAs cause redirects to websites such as performanceer.biz. These apps often feed users with pop-up ads, coupons, banners, surveys, and others, that conceal underlying content of visited websites. Furthermore, when clicked, they open dubious pages or execute scripts that download and install various unwanted apps that could be malicious.
Many PUAs collect browsing-related data, such as Internet Protocol addresses, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, geolocations, and so on. Some of these apps might also record personal data. Developers share the information with third parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Therefore, uninstall all PUAs immediately.
Name | Speeder.biz pop-up scam. |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud. |
Fake Claim | Fake survey. Website claims that user will receive a gift (Samsung Galaxy S9, iPhone X, or iPhone XS) for "loyalty" to the Google company. |
Serving IP Address | 35.165.215.58 |
Symptoms | Rogue pop-up ads, fake surveys, false claims of a reward for completing a survey, encouragement to enter various personal details and register on various websites. |
Distribution methods | Rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are other scam websites that are similar to speeder.biz including, for example, "You've Made The 5-billionth Search", "Dear Browser User", and "Comcast Cable Communications Congratulations". Typically, scammers use these sites to trick people into providing various details that scammers use to generate revenue.
PUAs that open these scam websites are usually presented as legitimate apps that supposedly provide useful tools, features, and so on. Unfortunately, most these apps are used to generate revenue for their developers. Having them installed often results in privacy, browsing safety issues, and even identity theft.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Most users install PUAs through accidentally (or willingly) clicked intrusive ads that are able to execute scripts, or when the "bundling" method is used. Bundling is a deceptive marketing method that developers use to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs together with other software.
Developers do not disclose information about the bundling of apps - they hide PUAs in "Custom", "Advanced", or other similar sections of software download or installation set-ups. When people leave these settings unchecked and unchanged, they often allow unwanted software to be downloaded and installed.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Download software from official and trustworthy sources, avoid using third party software downloaders (or installers), eMule, torrents (other Peer-to-Peer networks), and various other sources of this kind. Check available "Advanced", "Custom" and other sections/settings of the download or installation setup. Make sure that there are no checkboxes ticked by default.
Additionally, do not click advertisements that are displayed on dubious websites, since they can open pages relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc. If you encounter these ads or redirects, check for any new plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions installed on the browser and remove all unknown/unwanted apps immediately.
The same applies to unwanted programs installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
Screenshot of speeder.biz website encouraging visitors to claim a reward:
Text presented on this page:
Dear Google user, congratulations!
We want to thank you for being a loyal Google user! Your IP address has been randomly selected to receive a FREE Samsung Galaxy S9, Iphone X or iPhone XS.
From time to time we select a handful of Google users to give them the opportunity to receive valuable gifts from our partners and sponsors. This is our way of thanking you for choosing Google as your preferred service.
Today is your lucky day! You are one of the 10 randomly selected users who will receive the gift.
To receive your gift, you simply have to complete our short and anonymous survey. But hurry! There are only a few gifts available today!
Please claim your gift:
Due to limited availability your gift will be reserved for the next 2:10 minutes.
If you do not claim the gift during this time it will be given to the next lucky Google user.
Website encouraging users to sign up:
The appearance of "speeder.biz" scam (GIF):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Speeder.biz spam?
- How to identify a pop-up scam?
- How do pop-up scams work?
- How to remove fake pop-ups?
- How to prevent fake pop-ups?
- What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
How to identify a pop-up scam?
Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.
While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.
Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:
- Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
- Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
- Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
- Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
- Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.
Example of a pop-up scam:
How do pop-up scams work?
Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.
Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.
How to remove fake pop-ups?
In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.
In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.
How to prevent fake pop-ups?
To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.
To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.
- If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
- If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
- If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
- Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.
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