How to stop redirects to and from Chooseyour websites

What are the "Chooseyour" sites?

"Chooseyour" is a group of deceptive websites, promoting various online scams. They have been observed running "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" schemes (which promote bogus updaters) and "Dear Safari User, You Are Today's Lucky Visitor" (which offers fake prizes).

These web pages might promote other scams as well. Note that fake Adobe Flash Player updates are commonly used to proliferate untrusted and even malicious software. Few users access deceptive/scam sites intentionally - most are redirected to them by intrusive ads or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already installed on the system.

Scams like "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" (which "Chooseyour" websites promote) operate by claiming that Flash Player is out of date and offers to install/update it immediately. Fake software installers/updaters often infiltrate adware, browser hijackers and other PUAs into systems.

They can even cause Trojan, ransomware and other malware infections. Therefore, never trust any content offered or promoted by the "Chooseyour" web pages, since this can seriously endanger device and user safety. Update products only with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers.

Scams like "Dear Safari User, You Are Today's Lucky Visitor" work differently: rather than offering deceptive software, they claim that users can win a prize (which is fake).

When they attempt to obtain the prize, people's trust is abused in various ways. Any personal data that they provide (e.g. emails, banking account or credit card details, etc.) can be stolen, and they might also be asked to make fraudulent monetary transactions (e.g. fake shipping fees, other payments) and so on.

PUAs are one of the main causes of rogue redirects to sites such as "Chooseyour". They can cause redirects to various deceptive/scam, untrusted/rogue, sale-oriented, compromised and malicious pages, however, these apps can also have additional capabilities.

They can deliver intrusive advertisements (pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, etc.) - this type is classified as adware. Furthermore, the delivered ads significantly diminish the browsing experience and, when clicked, generate redirects to harmful web pages, and can even stealthily download/install software (e.g. PUAs).

Another type of unwanted application is the browser hijacker - this can modify browsers, restrict/deny access to their settings and promote fake search engines. Regardless of their specific type, most PUAs can track data. They record browsing activity (URLs visited, search queries typed, etc.) and gather users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

This sensitive data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit. To summarize, PUAs can cause system infiltration and infections, lead to financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. To protect device integrity and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Chooseyour pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	Some variants claims that Adobe Flash Player is outdated.
Related Domains	Full List Below.
Detection Names (chooseyour12[.]live)	BitDefender (Malware), CyRadar (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Kaspersky (Malware), Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (chooseyour12[.]live)	193.35.50.251
Promoted Unwanted Application	Some variants promote various fake software updaters/installers.
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.

"Winprizes", "Hotrivsaln", and "Trksmm" are some examples of other deceptive/scam website groups. These online schemes often trick users into performing certain actions using social engineering and scare tactics.

Popular scam models include (but are not limited to) claims that a piece of essential software is out of date/missing, warnings that the system is infected or at risk, prize giveaways and "amazing" offers/deals.

They can encourage users into downloading/installing and purchasing nonoperational, untrusted or malicious content, calling fake and expensive support/service lines, revealing their personal information such as the log-in credentials of various accounts (e.g. email, social networking/media, e-commerce, etc.) and banking or credit card details, and deceive them into making fraudulent monetary transactions, and many others. Therefore, always exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" download pages, which are frequently promoted by deceptive sites, however, they are often downloaded/installed with other products. This deceptive marketing method pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious content is called "bundling".

Rushing download and installation processes (e.g. using pre-set options, skipping steps, etc.) endangers devices with potential system infiltration and infections. Once clicked, intrusive ads can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all products, prior to download/installation or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.), free file-hosting websites and other third party downloaders can offer suspicious content and should be avoided.

Approach download/Installation processes with caution. Therefore, it is important to read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and decline download/installation of additional apps, tools, features and so on.

Intrusive advertisements usually seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). If you experience these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately eliminate all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins.

If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

List of domains that are part of the "Chooseyour" group:

• chooseyour2[.]live
• chooseyour4[.]live
• chooseyour5[.]live
• chooseyour8[.]live
• chooseyour9[.]live
• chooseyour10[.]live
• chooseyour12[.]live
• chooseyour14[.]live
• chooseyour16[.]live
• chooseyour19[.]live
• chooseyour20[.]live
• chooseyour22[.]live
• chooseyour23[.]live
• chooseyour28[.]live
• chooseyour29[.]live

Appearance of a variant of the "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" scam run on a "Chooseyour" website (GIF):

Appearance of another variant of the "Chooseyour" website promoting "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" (GIF):

Appearance of a variant of the "Dear Safari User, You Are Today's Lucky Visitor" scam run on Chooseyour 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 Chooseyour 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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