Avoid getting scammed by "The raffle of prizes" fake giveaway

What is "The raffle of prizes" scam?

"The raffle of prizes" is a scam promoted on various rogue sites. This scheme is presented as a prize raffle from Instagram. It must be emphasized that this giveaway is fake, and it is in no way associated with the Instagram social media platform.

Deceptive websites are typically accessed through mistyped URLs or redirects caused by untrustworthy webpages, intrusive adverts, or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

"The raffle of prizes" scam overview

"The raffle of prizes" is a scheme promising users a chance to win a prize worth from 50 to 5000 USD. There are supposedly over 100 computer and mobile device gifts that participants can win.

Typically, scams of this kind request users to make various payments to receive the nonexistent prizes. They may be asked to pay for shipping, storage, registration, subscriptions, transactions, or similar. In some cases, the payments must be made via dubious payment gateways that can record the financial data (e.g., banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.) provided to them.

In fact, phishing scams are common for schemes like "The raffle of prizes". Phishing operates by tricking victims into disclosing personal/sensitive information. In addition to finance-related data, these scams also target personally identifiable details, account usernames/passwords, etc. The collected data can be monetized by being sold to third-parties or used to create personalized schemes.

To elaborate, stolen communication (e.g., email, social media, etc.) accounts can be used to ask for loans or proliferate malware - under the guise of the genuine owner. While online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, and similar accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, trusting "The raffle of prizes" scam can lead to severe privacy issues, significant financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	The raffle of prizes pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam claims that users can win a prize.
Disguise	Scam is disguised as a prize raffle held by Instagram.
Related Domains	luckyhint[.]com
Detection Names (luckyhint[.]com)	CyRadar (Malicious), ESET (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Lionic (Phishing), 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

The Internet is rife with misleading, deceptive, and even malicious content. Popular scam models include - fake giveaways/raffles, virus warnings, outdated/missing software alerts, and so forth. "PACKAGE WAITING", "BLACK WEEK Lottery", "Microsoft Windows Virus Alert", and "PancakeSwap AirDrop" are some examples of online scams.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Deceptive websites are commonly accessed via redirects caused by PUAs installed onto the device. This software can infiltrate systems without explicit user consent.

PUAs are spread using the "bundling" marketing tactic - packing regular programs with various supplements. Rushed downloads/installations increase the risk of allowing bundled content into the device. Intrusive advertisements proliferate PUAs as well. Once clicked on, the adverts can execute scripts to make stealthy downloads/installations. Some unwanted apps have "official" promotional/download pages.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is recommended to research software and download it from official/verified sources. Untrustworthy download channels, e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc. - often offer bundled and harmful content.

When downloading/installing, it is advised to read terms, explore possible options, use the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings, and opt-out from all additions. Intrusive advertisements appear ordinary, yet they redirect to highly questionable sites (e.g., pornography, adult-dating, gambling, etc.).

In case of encounters with ads and/or redirects of this type, the system must be inspected and all dubious 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 raffle of prizes" scam:

Participation in the drawing
More than 100 units of computer and mobile equipment, as well as 50 cash prizes ranging from 50 to 5000 US dollars

 

All you have to do is open the correct gift box.

 

You have 3 tries, good luck!

 

* You can only take part in the promotion once

 

The raffle of prizes from the social network Instagram!

 

Congratulations and good luck!

Appearance of "The raffle of prizes" pop-up scam (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 The raffle of prizes 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?

Pop-up scams are deceptive messages designed to lure users into performing specific actions (e.g., making bogus monetary transactions, revealing personal data, calling fake helplines, downloading files, installing malicious software, etc.).

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Most pop-up scams are designed to generate revenue for the cyber criminals behind them. Scammers can profit by selling private data or using it for other illegal purposes, promoting untrustworthy/harmful software (e.g., fake anti-viruses, etc.), proliferating malware, and so on.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by a pop-up scam, what should I do?

If you have disclosed account credentials - immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support. If the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are run on various deceptive websites, which are seldom visited intentionally. Most visitors access them via mistyped URLs or redirects caused by other rogue webpages, browser notifications/ intrusive ads, or installed untrustworthy software.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner is capable of scanning every single website you visit, and it can detect rogue/malicious ones (this includes pages that deliver pop-up scams). Therefore, you will be warned immediately, and access to such sites will be restricted.

▼ Show Discussion