How to avoid downloads from deceptive web pages such as tiptoptrack
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Tiptoptrack?
Tiptoptrack is one of many scam websites online. This particular site is designed trick people into believing that their Mac computers are infected with a virus. Once opened, it displays a pop-up window, a notification about a 'detected virus'.
The main purpose of this website is to promote a potentially unwanted application (PUA) named Smart Mac Booster and to trick people into installing it. We strongly recommend that you ignore this website and never trust software that is advertised on web pages of this kind.
Once the tiptoptrack scam website is opened, a pop-up window appears and states that the site has detected a virus. According to this fake alert, this virus infected the computer through an untrustworthy website that was visited earlier that day.
When the pop-up is closed, tiptoptrack displays a web page that contains device information such as name of operating system and browser (and their versions), IP address, name of Internet Service Provider and location. It encourages visitors to scan their systems and remove the 'detected virus' by clicking the "Scan Now" button.
If clicked, this starts a fake scan that informs visitors that it has detected a virus called "Bankworm", which infected a file named "/os/apps/worm.icv". To remove this virus, visitors must supposedly click the "REMOVE VIRUS NOW" button, which leads to a download web page of the Smart Mac Booster program.
These programs are advertised through deceptive web pages that cannot be trusted. The best way to deal with this scam is to simply close the website and avoid returning to it. Note, however, that people do not generally open these sites intentionally - they are opened by PUAs already installed on the operating system or browser.
Typically, PUAs force people to visit dubious, deceptive web pages, display unwanted ads and gather user-system (and other) information. Examples of advertisements displayed by PUAs are coupons, banners, surveys, pop-up ads, and so on.
It is not safe to click these ads, since they open untrustworthy websites or start download/installation of other unwanted and potentially malicious applications. Additionally, PUAs collect various details including, for example, users' IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of opened web pages, search queries entered, etc.
Developers send the information to third parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Some of the third parties might be cyber criminals. In summary, it is unsafe to have apps of this type installed - they can lead to unwanted installations, problems with privacy and browsing safety, or might even be used to steal identities.
| Name | tiptoptrack pop-up |
| Threat Type | Mac malware, Mac virus |
| Fake Claim | This scam page claims that it has detected a virus and encourages visitors to remove it immediately |
| Promoted Unwanted Application | Smart Mac Booster |
| Related Domain | play3101.tiptoptrack54[.]live |
| Serving IP Address (play3101.tiptoptrack54[.]live) | 79.110.23.105 |
| Detection Names (play3101.tiptoptrack54[.]live) | Fortinet (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads. |
| Damage | Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information. |
| Malware Removal (Mac) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Examples of similar deceptive web pages are Truefalserdr, Checkingforward, and Fastsearchday. Generally, scammers use them to trick people into downloading and installing unwanted applications such as Smart Mac Booster - some of these sites could be used to trick people into paying for unwanted, unnecessary and useless software or services.
PUAs that cause redirects to these pages are usually advertised as 'useful and legitimate' programs, however, most do not operate as advertised and simply cause problems.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
In some cases, PUAs can be downloaded from supposedly 'official' download websites, however, most people download and install them inadvertently (unintentionally). This usually happens when they click deceptive ads or download/install regular software.
Unwanted downloads and installations through set-ups of other software happen when developers use the "bundling" method. They use this to trick people into downloading/installing unwanted apps with other software by including them in download/installation set-ups.
I.e., they add PUAs to the set-ups but do not disclose this information properly. The details can generally be found in options such as "Custom" and "Advanced". Furthermore, many users fail to check or change these settings. This is effectively agreeing by default to download or installation of additionally offered programs (PUAs).
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
If a download or installation setup contains settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and so on, check offers to download or install additional, unwanted software and dismiss them. Also, download programs and files from official sites and use direct download links.
Sources/channels such as untrustworthy (unofficial) websites, third party downloaders, torrent clients, eMule or other Peer-to-Peer networks should not be trusted. The same applies to installation through third party installers - do not trust them. When displayed on dubious web pages, intrusive ads often open untrustworthy, potentially malicious websites.
In some cases, they run scripts that start download and installation of various unwanted applications. Do not click intrusive, potentially deceptive ads. If the browser opens dubious web pages or displays intrusive ads, remove all unwanted, unknown or suspicious extensions, plug-ins and add-ons installed on the browser.
Additionally, uninstall software of this type from the operating system too. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Text presented in the "VIRUS FOUND" pop-up window:
VIRUS FOUND
A website you visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.
Press OK to begin the repair process.
Screenshot of a web page with device information:
Text in this page:
VIRUS FOUND
A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus. A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your Mac OS X 10_14_6 device.
DEVICE INFORMATION
Brand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10_14_6
Browser: Safari 12.1.2
IP: -
Provider: -
Location: - LT
Scan Now
Tiptoptrack scam page encourages visitors to download the Smart Mac Booster app:
Text in this page:
DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove Bankworm from your Mac.
VIRUS INFORMATION
Virus Name: Bankworm
Risk: HIGH
Infected File: /os/apps/worm.icv
VIRUS REMOVAL
Application: Advanced Mac Cleaner
Rating: 9.9/10
Price: Free
REMOVE VIRUS NOW
Appearance of tiptoptrack scam (GIF):
Screenshot of Smart Mac Booster download page:
Smart Mac Booster unwanted application:
Instant automatic Mac malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac
By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.
Quick menu:
- What is tiptoptrack pop-up?
- 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 macOS.
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 macOS) - 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.
Outstanding!
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