How to recognize scams like PACKAGE WAITING pop-up scam?

What is kind of scam is PACKAGE WAITING?

It is a pop-up scam - a false/fraudulent message designed to trick users into taking certain actions. Usually, scammers behind it attempt to trick users into providing personal information, installing unwanted (potentially malicious) software, contacting scammers via the provided numbers, etc.

PACKAGE WAITING scam in detail

This pop-up scam claims that a package (iPhone Pro 12) is ready for delivery and encourages users to use the provided tracking number to track/find it. It seems that scammers use this pop-up scam to trick visitors into providing personal information and (or) paying a "delivery" fee. Either way, this scam must be ignored.

The most popular channels to promote such scams are deceptive advertisements, untrustworthy websites, and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). Users rarely open such scam websites on purpose/willingly.

Threat Summary:

Name	PACKAGE WAITING pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	iPhone 12 is ready for delivery
Disguise	Notification from FedEx
Related Domain	benefitry[.]com
Detection Names	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	54.226.116.141
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.

Pop-up scams in general

Typically, pop-up scams are disguised as notifications, warnings or messages from legitimate companies. This particular scam is disguised as a notification from FedEx. It is important to remember that legitimate companies have nothing to do with these scams. Examples of similar scams are "BLACK WEEK Lottery", "Customer Experience Survey".

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most unwanted downloads and installations are caused through downloaders and installers for free programs, shady ads, fake installers. Users agree to download or install PUAs when they do not check and change "Advanced", "Custom", or other settings or untick checkboxes in certain downloaders or installers.

In other cases, unexpected downloads and installations are caused by clicking on untrustworthy advertisements designed to run certain scripts or through fake installers. As a rule, fake installers get downloaded from deceptive pages.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download applications (and files) from official, legitimate web pages. Do not use third-party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks, unofficial websites, and so on. Also, examine downloaders and installers containing any settings before downloading or installing programs - they could be used to distribute PUAs.

Avoid clicking on advertisements that web pages related to adult dating, pornography, and other questionable pages have on them. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of PACKAGE WAITING pop-up scam (GIF):

Text in this scam:

PACKAGE WAITING

You have iPhone Pro 12 waiting at our warehouse in Panevezys, ready for delivery. Use your code to track and receive your package

Your tracking number:
5427912384
Find My Package

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Quick menu:

• What is PACKAGE WAITING 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pop-up scam?

It is a scam designed to trick an unsuspecting user into providing personal information, installing certain software, downloading files, paying fake fees, or for similar purposes. Pretty often, such scam uses scare tactics to trick a user into taking certain actions.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

As a rule, pop-up scams are displayed/delivered by untrustworthy websites. Users do not visit those pages on purpose. Typically, users end up on these pages through installed potentially unwanted applications, other dubious pages, advertisements.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner application can scan opened websites and inform visitors about the malicious ones, including those displaying pop-up scams. This app also can restrict access to untrustworthy pages.

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