How to remove apps causing redirects to the hotlocalchat.com website?

What is hotlocalchat[.]com?

The Internet is full of untrustworthy websites; hotlocalchat[.]com is yet another rogue site that shares many similarities with questicre.top, ompanied.top, ourdadaikri.com, and countless others. Hotlocalchat[.]com is designed to present visitors with questionable content and/or redirect them to unreliable and malicious sites.

Users rarely access such websites intentionally. Most get redirected to them by intrusive ads or PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications) already installed onto their devices.

This software can infiltrate systems without explicit user permission. PUAs operate by causing redirects, running intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collecting browsing-related information.

The behavior of hotlocalchat[.]com is determined by its visitors' geolocations, which it learns from their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. Therefore, whether visitors get redirected elsewhere and/or are presented with dubious material - depends on their geolocations.

Additionally, hotlocalchat[.]com instructs to "Press 'Allow' to watch the video" - by attempting to watch the fake video, users will inadvertently enable the website's browser notifications. Hence, the site will begin running intrusive advert campaigns.

The ads hotlocalchat[.]com delivers are more than just a nuisance, they also pose a threat to device/user safety. Once clicked on, intrusive advertisements redirect to untrustworthy/malicious webpages, and some can stealthily download/install software (e.g., PUAs).

Should a browser be force-opening hotlocalchat[.]com or other rogue, unreliable, compromised, deceptive/scam, and malicious sites - it's likely to be because of installed PUAs. However, these apps can have different/additional heinous functionalities.

For example, unwanted applications can operate as adware - deliver intrusive advert campaigns. Most PUAs have data tracking abilities as well. They can record browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect vulnerable data inferred from it (IP addresses/ geolocations, personally identifiable details, etc.).

The gathered data is monetized by being shared with and/or sold to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals). To summarize, the presence of unwanted software on devices - can result in system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Therefore, it is crucial to immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins - to ensure device integrity and user privacy.

Threat Summary:

Name	hotlocalchat.com pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Serving IP Address	5.8.34.61
Symptoms	Seeing advertisements not originating from the sites you are browsing. Intrusive pop-up ads. Decreased Internet browsing speed.
Distribution Methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications (adware)
Damage	Decreased computer performance, browser tracking - privacy issues, possible additional malware infections.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

PUAs usually appear ordinary and innocuous. Users are lured into download/installation with offers of various "useful" and "advantageous" functions.

However, the promised features are seldom operational. The sole goal of unwanted apps is to generate profit at user expense.

Therefore, instead of delivering on any promises, PUAs can force-open untrustworthy and malicious websites, run intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collect private data.

How did adware install on my computer?

PUAs are distributed via downloaders/installers of other programs. This deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions - is called "bundling".

By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g., skipping steps and sections, etc.) - users risk unintentionally allowing bundled content into their devices. Intrusive adverts are used to spread PUAs as well.

Once clicked on, the advertisements can execute scripts to download/install these applications without user consent. Some PUAs also have "official" promotional/download sites.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is recommended to research software before download/installation and/or purchase. Only official and trustworthy download sources must be used. Dubious download channels, e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third-party downloaders - commonly offer dangerous and bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is advised to read terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt-out from supplementary apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive adverts appear legitimate and harmless; however, they redirect to various unreliable and questionable webpages (e.g., gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and so forth).

Should users experience such ads and/or redirects, they must inspect their devices and immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins detected. If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of hotlocalchat[.]com website (GIF):

Instant automatic 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 malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner 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. 7 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 hotlocalchat.com pop-up?
• STEP 1. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome
• STEP 2. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android)
• STEP 3. Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox
• STEP 4. Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge
• STEP 5. Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS)

Disable unwanted browser notifications:

Video showing how to disable web browser notifications:

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome:

Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". In the opened window select "Privacy and security", then click on "Site Settings" and choose "Notifications".

In the "Allowed to send notifications" list search for websites that you want to stop receiving notifications from. Click on the three dots icon near the website URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android):

Tap the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". Scroll down, tap on "Site settings" and then "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and tap on them one-by-one. Once the pop-up shows up, select either "Block" or "Remove" (if you tap "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen. Select "Settings" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and block them using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove Website" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove Website" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge:

Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window and select "Settings". Click on "Cookies and site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications".

Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS):

Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences...". Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane.

Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

How to avoid browser notification spam?

Internet users should be very skeptical when being asked to allow notifications. While this is a useful feature that allows you to receive timely news from websites you like, deceptive marketers frequently abuse it.

Only allow notifications from websites that you fully trust. For added security - use an anti-malware application with a real-time web browsing monitor to block shady websites that tries to trick you into allowing spam notifications. We recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

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