Avoid being scammed by applecomsupport.com

What is applecomsupport[.]com?

Identical to applesupportofficial.com, applecomsupport[.]com is a deceptive website that claims visitors' devices are infected and/or at risk. It advises them to contact a fake Apple support service - this 'service' actually leads to the designers of this scam.

Most visits to applecomsupport[.]com occur via redirects caused by intrusive ads or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already infiltrated into the system. Unwanted apps have many dangerous capabilities including force-opening untrustworthy/malicious web pages, delivery of intrusive ad campaigns and data tracking.

applecomsupport[.]com displays a pop-up window, which states that users have been redirected to the site, since their devices have been infected with adware downloaded from an untrustworthy source. Allegedly, a multitude of pop-up ads and other security issues have been detected on the MacOS (Mac Operating System).

The supposed origins of these nonexistent problems are malware or spyware. The message then urges users to chat with Apple support. Closing this window loads a different page.

At the bottom, it contains a disclaimer disassociating applecomsupport[.]com from Apple and identifying itself as a third party service provider, however, as well as this "small print", the web page appears similar to the legitimate Apple support service. A fake technical support number is provided and a chat window through which users are to contact "Apple Support".

Note that no website can detect issues present on their devices. Those that make such claims are scam attempts. Therefore, they cannot provide technical support, since the threats/issues are fake. Furthermore, trusting applecomsupport[.]com or other similar sites can lead to serious problems.

For example, the contact numbers can have high-tolls, scammers can also request payment for "services rendered", encourage users into downloading/installing and/or purchasing nonoperational, untrustworthy and even malicious software.

To summarize, trusting deceptive web pages can lead to various browser and system infiltration/infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and identity theft.

PUAs are one of the prime causes of rogue redirects to applecomsupport[.]com and similar pages. These apps can cause redirects to sale-based, untrustworthy, scam and even malicious websites. Some unwanted applications can run intrusive advertisement campaigns.

These deliver a wide variety of unwanted and harmful ads (e.g. pop-ups, banners, coupons, etc.). Intrusive ads diminish the browsing experience by limiting browsing speed and website visibility, however, once clicked, they can also redirect to dangerous web pages and execute scripts to download/install dubious content without users' permission.

Regardless of their specific capabilities, most PUAs can track data. They record browsing activity (browsing and search engine histories) and collect users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This vulnerable data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit.

Therefore, the presence of PUAs on systems can compromise device and user safety. You are strongly advised to remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	applecomsupport.com pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	Site claims visitors' devices might be infected.
Detection Names	BitDefender (Malware), CyRadar (Malicious), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Phishing), Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	148.66.138.124
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac 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.

vpnshieldplus4.com, safebrowsing.network, and "Call Apple Helpline" are examples of other scams similar to applecomsupport[.]com. Sites offering technical support and/or system cleaning/optimizing software through warnings of 'detected problems' have just one purpose: to generate revenue for their designers.

Rather than helping users, they trick them into calling/chatting with fake tech support, endorse unwanted or malicious content and so on. You are strongly advised against trusting web pages of this kind, regardless of their legitimate appearance and so-called "useful" products.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs proliferate through the download/install set-ups of other software. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing normal products with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling". By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, using pre-set options, etc.), many users endanger their devices with potential infiltration and infections.

Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages, from which they can usually be downloaded "free". When clicked, intrusive ads proliferate PUAs by executing scripts to stealthily download/install unwanted applications.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

It is important to research all content before downloading/installing. Use only official and verified download channels, as opposed to untrustworthy sources such as P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), free file-hosting websites or other third party downloaders.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive advertisements typically seem normal and innocuous, however, they can redirect to dubious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others).

If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. 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 pop-up window:

Dear : Apple Customer,

You have been redirected to Apple Support page because your Mac is infected with Popup Adware Virus due to download's from untrusted source.

We have noticed excessive POPUP ADS or SECURITY ISSUES on your Mac computer!

It could be because of a possible MALWARE or SPYWARE download.

CHAT NOW WITH APPLE SUPPORT

Please note your CASE ID is: AP11S50-qch8nt

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED : CONTACT NOW

Screenshot of the fake technical support page:

Text presented in this page:

Welcome To Apple Support
1-877-701-0509
We’re here to help. Call or chat with us
Support for following Apple® products

Text in the chat window:

Apple Support
You have been redirected to Apple Support page because your Mac is infected with Popup Adware Virus due to download's from untrusted source. Please connect with a chat support agent for help and support.

Appearance of applecomsupport[.]com scam (GIF):

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▼ 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 applecomsupport.com 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.

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