How to remove redirects to Increaseofprofit scam websites

What are the "Increaseofprofit" sites?

"Increaseofprofit" is a group of deceptive websites, which promote various scams. They have been observed promoting "Dear Chrome User, Congratulations!" and "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" schemes. Other scams might also be promoted via these sites.

Few users access these deceptive web pages intentionally - most are redirected by intrusive advertisements or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already infiltrated into the device. Note that these apps do not need express permission to be installed onto the system.

The only purpose of online scams is to generate profit for their designers. For example, schemes such as "Dear Chrome User, Congratulations!" operate by claiming that users have won (or can win) a fake prize. To receive the bogus/nonexistent reward, users might be asked to provide their personal information or make monetary transactions (e.g. fraudulent shipping fees, etc.).

In this way, users can have their accounts stolen (e.g. email, social media, social networking, etc.), experience serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. Scams like "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" state that Flash Player is outdated and recommends bogus updates.

These fake updaters are often used to proliferate adware, browser hijackers and other PUAs. They can also infect systems with Trojans, ransomware and other malware. Therefore, never trust "Increaseofprofit" or other similar sites.

One of the main causes of rogue redirects are PUAs. These apps can force-open sale-based, untrusted, deceptive/scam, compromised and malicious pages. Adware-type unwanted applications deliver ads (pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys, etc.), which diminish the browsing experience by limiting browsing speed and website visibility.

When these intrusive ads are clicked, they redirect to harmful websites and can execute scripts to stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Other unwanted apps called browser hijackers modify browsers, restrict/deny access to their settings and promote fake search engines.

Furthermore, most PUAs have data tracking capabilities. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, web pages, search queries typed, etc.) and collect users' personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). In summary, PUAs can endanger device and user safety.

Therefore, you are advised to immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins.

Threat Summary:

Name	Increaseofprofit pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	Some variants claim that Flash Player is outdated and, others, that users can win a prize.
Related Domains	Full List Below.
Detection Names (increaseofprofit32[.]live)	Kaspersky (Malware), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (increaseofprofit32[.]live)	193.35.50.251
Promoted Unwanted Application	Some variants promote fake Flash Player updates.
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 "Prizeseeker" are some examples of other site groups similar to "Increaseofprofit". Through using social engineering and scare tactics, these online scams trick users into performing certain actions.

Popular scam models include (but are not limited to) prize giveaways, "amazing" offers/deals, claims that an essential piece of software is outdated, and warnings that the system is infected or at risk. The only purpose of these deceptive/scam sites is to generate revenue at users' expense. Therefore, exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs proliferate via the download/install set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling". Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content onto the system.

Some PUAs have "official" download pages, which are commonly promoted by deceptive/scam sites. Intrusive ads also proliferate these apps. Once clicked on, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs, without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched, before download/installation or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Avoid unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.) and other third party downloaders.

When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

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 related to the "Increaseofprofit" group:

• increaseofprofit3[.]live
• increaseofprofit5[.]live
• increaseofprofit6[.]live
• increaseofprofit14[.]live
• increaseofprofit16[.]live
• increaseofprofit19[.]live
• increaseofprofit25[.]live
• increaseofprofit28[.]live
• increaseofprofit32[.]live
• increaseofprofit33[.]live
• increaseofprofit35[.]live
• increaseofprofit41[.]live
• increaseofprofit46[.]live

Appearance of an "Increaseofprofit" website running the "Dear Chrome User, Congratulations!" scam (GIF):

Appearance of an "Increaseofprofit" website running the "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" scam (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 Increaseofprofit 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.

▼ Show Discussion