How to remove apps that redirect to takeprize web pages

What is takeprize?

Takeprize is a family of untrusted, deceptive websites and a domain that, if visited, displays various lottery scams. At the time of research, takeprize loaded web pages that encouraged visitors to download an installer that distributes potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) including browser hijackers, adware-type apps.

These installers are used to trick people into installing malicious programs such as Trojans, ransomware, and other malware. In any case, no web pages that are part of the takeprize group can be trusted. They are opened through deceptive advertisements, other untrusted websites or PUAs that are installed on browsers or operating systems.

Two takeprize websites include "Your Flash Player Is Out Of Date" and ""Adobe Flash Player" Is Out Of Date". Both attempt to trick visitors into downloading a fake Adobe Flash Player installer, which installs a PUA or a malicious program. These installers usually install adware or browser hijackers.

After installation, adware starts to feed users with advertisements in the form of coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, etc. People who click these ads are redirected to various untrusted web pages, or they allow them to execute scripts to download/install other unwanted software.

Some adware-type apps gather information - browsing-related details - such as IP addresses, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, geolocations, etc. In some cases, theses apps can access and collect personal, sensitive information such as credit card details.

Browser hijackers also gather data and promote the addresses of various fake search engines by changing browser settings. Fake Adobe Flash Player installers can cause installation of ransomware or Trojans. Therefore, users may experience data/financial loss and end up having computers infected with other malicious programs, which might cause serious problems.

Note that takeprize opens other untrusted web pages such as lottery scams (e.g., "You've Made The 5-billionth Search"). These scams are designed to trick visitors into believing that they have won prizes, and then deceive them into providing personal information.

Victims are asked to provide information including credit card details. The takeprize website group includes other types of deceptive web pages including, for example, those designed to trick people into believing that their computers are infected with viruses and that installing dubious software will remove them.

Some examples include Mac Cleanup Pro, MacKeeper and Advanced Mac Booster. We strongly advise against trusting any takeprize websites, since they can lead to unwanted downloads/installations, monetary loss, identity theft, problems with browsing safety, and a variety or other issues.

Threat Summary:

Name	takeprize pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Related Domains	takeprize50[.]live
Detection Names (takeprize50[.]live)	Fortinet (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Kaspersky (Malware), Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (takeprize50[.]live)	193.35.50.251
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.

sweetcntry, smmhck and chksumm are the names of other groups of dubious, potentially malicious web pages. In most cases, they load deceptive web pages that trick visitors into providing personal information, installing unwanted/malicious software, and so on.

Do not trust these website and simply ignore them. As mentioned, they are generally opened by PUAs that are already installed on browsers and/or computers.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In most cases, potentially unwanted apps are installed through the set-ups of other software. Typically, they are included in download and/or installation set-ups as "additional offers". Related information can usually be found in "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar settings.

This PUA distribution method is called "bundling". Developers use it to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs with other, intentionally downloaded/installed software. They succeed when people download and install programs without checking and changing the aforementioned settings.

PUAs also infiltrate when people click deceptive ads that download and install the apps by executing certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

The safest way to download software and files is using official websites and direct links. Torrent clients, eMule (and other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, installers, unoffiicial pages and other channels/tools of this kind should not be trusted or used - they distribute unwanted apps.

Check all download/installation set-ups, since they often include "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings. Dismiss offers to download or install additionally-included unwanted programs. Do not trust intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious web pages - they can redirect people to untrusted web pages or cause download/installation of PUAs.

If the browser causes redirects to untrusted web pages or shows unwanted ads, this can be stopped by removing all unwanted, suspicious extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins.

Also apply this 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 macOS to automatically eliminate them.

takeprize loads the "Your Flash Player Is Out Of Date" deceptive website (GIF):

takeprize loads the "Adobe Flash Player" Is Out Of Date" deceptive website (GIF):

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 takeprize 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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