Avoid getting scammed by the "Customer Experience Survey" giveaway

What is "Customer Experience Survey"?

"Customer Experience Survey" refers to a group of scams that promise fake rewards for survey completion. They are essentially the same, key differences being the supposed organizer of the giveaway and hoax prizes. These schemes aim to trick users into revealing their personal information (phishing) and/or paying bogus fees.

Deceptive websites are usually accessed via mistyped URLs, or redirects caused by rogue sites, intrusive ads, or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications). This software can stealthily infiltrate systems and typically has harmful abilities.

"Customer Experience Survey" scam in detail

The "Customer Experience Survey" scams are disguised as giveaways from various entities (often legitimate ones like the United States Postal Service, Costco Wholesale Corporation, etc.). The schemes promise a reward to users who complete a short questionnaire. The surveys and fake prizes can vary.

The researched "Customer Experience Survey" scam promoted a phishing website targeting personally identifiable data (e.g., name, geolocation, address, telephone number, email, etc.). Phishing scams generate revenue by selling the stolen information to third-parties and/or using it to create personalized schemes.

Furthermore, some giveaway-type scams request users to pay fake shipping, registration, or other fees. What is more, scammers can ask the payments to be made via dubious payment gateways that record banking account details and credit card numbers. This data can then be used to make fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting the "Customer Experience Survey" scheme, victims can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Customer Experience Survey pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam claims that users will receive a reward for completing a survey.
Related Domains	runtodya[.]com
Detection Names	ESET (Malware), 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

"SPIN FOR REWARD", "Millionaire (Миллионером)", "CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE THE VISITOR NO. 1.000.000", "$500 Amazon Gift Card!", and "Win The New iPhone 12" are a few examples of scams similar to "Customer Experience Survey".

Online schemes can use a variety of disguises, e.g., unbelievable deals and offers, warnings that the device is infected, alerts that a piece of software is outdated/missing, etc. The Internet is rife with scams; hence, it is strongly recommended to exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs can force-open unreliable, deceptive, and malicious sites (e.g., ones running "Customer Experience Survey"). This software can have "official" download pages that are often pushed by scam sites. These applications are also distributed through intrusive adverts. When clicked on, the ads can execute scripts to make downloads/installations without user consent.

PUAs are primarily spread by using the "bundling" method - packing regular programs with various additions. Rushed download/installation processes increase the risk of allowing bundled content into the system.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is advised to research software and download only from official/verified channels. Untrustworthy sources, e.g., unofficial and freeware websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc. - often offer bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is recommended to read terms, study available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings to opt-out from all supplements. Intrusive advertisements appear legitimate; however, they redirect to questionable sites (e.g., gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

In case of encounters with ads and/or redirects of this type, the system must be checked and all suspect 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 "Customer Experience Survey" scam:

Customer Experience Survey

 

Congratulations!
Congratulations! You've been chosen to receive a special reward from our sponsors! All you need to do is answer a few quick questions about our services and you can receive a iPad Pro 512Gb from our sponsors.

 

This exciting offer is only available to the first 10 users who have received a special invitation and will expire in 4 minutes and 18 seconds as we have very limited products in stock to give away.

 

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Screenshot of "Customer Experience Survey" scam's alternative variant:

The appearance of "Customer Experience Survey" pop-up scam (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is Customer Experience Survey 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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