How to get rid of the notifications/ads displayed by freecaptcha.top website

What kind of page is freecaptcha[.]top?

Our researchers found the freecaptcha[.]top rogue webpage while checking out untrustworthy sites. This page is designed to push spam browser notifications and redirect visitors to different (likely unreliable/malicious) webpages. Most users enter them through redirects caused by websites using rogue advertising networks.

Freecaptcha[.]top overview

It is noteworthy that the behavior of rogue sites (i.e., what they load/promote) may depend on the visitor's IP address/ geolocation.

When we accessed freecaptcha[.]top, it presented us with an image of a robot saying - "CLICK ALLOW TO CONFIRM THAT YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT!". This fake CAPTCHA verification is designed to trick visitors into enabling freecaptcha[.]top to display browser notifications. Once we pressed the "Allow" button, it resulted in a redirect to a site running the "Chrome Search Contest 2022" scam.

Notification spam is used to run intrusive advertisement campaigns. The delivered notifications/ads endorse online scams, unreliable/harmful websites and software, and even malware.

To summarize, via sites like freecaptcha[.]top - users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by freecaptcha.top
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Fortinet (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	78.128.112.211
Observed Domains	a.freecaptcha[.]top; c.freecaptcha[.]top; b.freecaptcha[.]top; h.freecaptcha[.]top; e.freecaptcha[.]top
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, false claims within visited websites, 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.

Browser notification spam in general

We have analyzed thousands of rogue pages; trusted-captcha[.]top, captchatest[.]top, and updatenotification[.]xyz are just a couple of examples.

These websites display browser notifications that push deceptive and malicious material. Note that any legitimate products encountered through these adverts are highly unlikely to be promoted by their developers. This promotion is primarily undertaken by scammers abusing the products' affiliate programs to obtain illegitimate commissions.

How did freecaptcha[.]top gain permission to deliver spam notifications?

Websites require user permission to deliver browser notifications. Therefore, you've likely accessed freecaptcha[.]top at some point and permitted it to do so by clicking "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or a similar option. It is pertinent to mention that rogue webpages commonly use deception to lure visitors into enabling notification delivery.

How to prevent deceptive sites from delivering spam notifications?

To avoid receiving undesirable browser notifications, do not consent to their delivery from questionable websites (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, we recommend ignoring or denying these requests by clicking "Block", "Block Notifications", or a similar option.

Should your browser continuously force-open suspicious sites (e.g., freecaptcha[.]top, etc.), it might be caused by the presence of advertising-supported software (adware). If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshots of notifications/adverts delivered by the freecaptcha[.]top website:

Appearance of the freecaptcha[.]top website (GIF):

Video showing how to eliminate ads delivered by freecaptcha[.]top using Combo Cleaner:

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 Ads by freecaptcha.top?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why am I seeing ads (browser notifications) delivered by freecaptcha[.]top in the right lower corner of my desktop?

Websites cannot deliver browser notifications without user permission. Hence, you have likely visited freecaptcha[.]top and consented to the delivery of these ads (i.e., selected "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.).

I have clicked on notification ads, is my computer infected?

No, clicking on a browser notification will not initiate any system infection chains. However, the content (e.g., websites, applications, etc.) pushed via these advertisements can be deceptive/malicious and cause serious problems (including system infections).

Is freecaptcha[.]top a virus?

No, freecaptcha[.]top is not categorized as a virus, but it can promote virulent content. These websites endorse online scams, fraudulent/harmful apps, and malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove freecaptcha[.]top ads automatically or manual steps are still required?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your device and undo all the permissions given to the freecaptcha[.]top website. Furthermore, it will block access to this and other rogue, scam, and malicious sites. Hence, no extra steps will be necessary.

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