Do not trust websites promoting the "Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam

What is the "Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam?

"Millionaire (Миллионером)" is an online scam targeting Russian-speaking users. It offers a chance to win a million for completion of a survey. The goal of such schemes is to trick victims into disclosing sensitive information (phishing) and/or paying bogus fees to receive the nonexistent prizes.

Deceptive websites are typically accessed via mistyped URLs, or redirects caused by rogue pages, intrusive advertisements, or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

"Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam in detail

The "Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam offers users a chance of becoming a millionaire. To participate, users are asked to complete a short questionnaire. It must be emphasized that all of the information provided by this scheme is false, and users will not receive any prizes.

The goal of all scams is to generate revenue at victims' expense. Phishing scams seek to obtain vulnerable data (e.g., personally identifiable details, banking account and credit card numbers, account log-in credentials, etc.). The collected data can be sold to third-parties, used to craft personalized schemes, or otherwise exploited for financial gain.

Prize-themed scams often request payment from users, e.g., for shipping or storing the fake rewards, nonexistent prize-money transaction fees, mandatory subscription/registration, and so forth.

In summary, by trusting the "Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam, users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Millionaire (Миллионером) pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam claims that users can win a million by completing a survey
Related Domains	multipleprofit-now[.]life
Detection Names (multipleprofit-now[.]life)	CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Lionic (Phishing), alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan.
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible 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.

Online scams in general

"CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE THE VISITOR NO. 1.000.000", "Win The New iPhone 12", "Mr Beast Giveaway", and "You Are Our Winner Today!" are some examples of schemes similar to "Millionaire (Миллионером)".

Online scams can use various models, e.g., fake prize giveaways, unbelievable deals, alerts that the device is infected, warnings that a software product is outdated, etc. Due to how widespread scams are on the Web, it is strongly advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Select PUAs have "official" download pages that are often be promoted by deceptive/scam sites. "Bundling" marketing method - packing ordinary programs with unwanted/malicious additions - is also used to proliferate PUAs. Rushed download/installation processes increase the risk of allowing bundled content into the system. Intrusive advertisements are used to spread PUAs as well. Once clicked on, the adverts can execute scripts to make downloads/installations without user permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is important to research software and always download from official/verified sources. Untrustworthy download channels, e.g., unofficial and freeware websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third-party downloaders - offer bundled/harmful content.

When downloading/installing, it is recommended to read terms, study possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings to opt-out from additional apps, tools, etc. Intrusive ads appear innocuous; however, they redirect to highly questionable sites (e.g., gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and so on).

In case of encounters with advertisements and/or redirects of this kind, the system must be checked and all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins detected - immediately removed from it. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in the "Millionaire (Миллионером)" scam:

Text presented in the pop-up

Russian (ORG):

 

7 091 488 рублей
Рекордный джекпот в Рунете.
Вы сегодняшний счастливый посетитель. Пройдите наш небольшой опрос и вы получите 60 бесплатных розыгрышей, бонус 100% на первый депозит и возможность стать миллионером прямо сейчас!

 

Rough English translation:

 

7 091 488 rubles
Record jackpot in Runet.
You are today's lucky visitor. Take our short survey and you will receive 60 free drawings, a 100% bonus on your first deposit and the opportunity to become a millionaire right now!

 

------------------------------------

 

Text presented in the background

Russian (ORG):

 

ПОЗДРАВЛЯЕМ!

Вы сегодняшний счастливый посетитель. Пройдите наш небольшой опрос и вы получите 60 бесплатных розыгрышей, бонус 100% на первый депозит и возможность стать миллионером прямо сейчас!

 

Rough English translation:

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are today's lucky visitor. Take our short survey and you will receive 60 free drawings, a 100% bonus on your first deposit and the opportunity to become a millionaire right now!

The appearance of "Millionaire (Миллионером)" pop-up scam (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is Millionaire (Миллионером) 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 Windows.

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 Windows) - 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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