How to spot scams like the AMAZON TRIAL pop-up scam
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is the "AMAZON TRIAL" pop-up scam?
It is a scam where scammers pretend to conduct a survey. We found that scammers behind this site attempt to trick visitors into believing they can win iPhone 13 by participating in a survey. There are many similar scams on the Internet. Most of them are used to extract money and (or) personal information.
"AMAZON TRIAL" pop-up scam in detail
The survey scam page claims that this is a limited-time offer and only ten visitors will receive the prize. It encourages visitors to answer four questions. It also contains fake comments. Once those questions are answered, the page redirects to another page asking to provide an email address. The other page also wants to show notifications.
Usually, scammers use survey scams to trick people into paying "transaction", "administration", "shipping", or other fees and (or) provide credit card details, name, surname, address, and other personal information. Either way, people who fall for such scams never receive any prizes.
It is also important to mention that notifications from untrustworthy websites promote technical support scams, shady applications, phishing pages, malicious sites, etc. Thus, web pages of this kind should never be allowed to show notifications.
| Name | AMAZON TRIAL survey scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Visitors can win iPhone 13 by participating in a survey |
| Disguise | Legitimate Amazon survey |
| Related Domain | fortuitousluck[.]net |
| Detection Names (fortuitousluck[.]net) | Avira (Phishing), BitDefender (Malware), Fortinet (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address | 18.235.21.239 |
| 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. |
Similar scams in general
Websites running pop-up scams are usually disguised as legitimate pages (e.g., logos or real and legitimate companies). Typically, scammers use these sites to obtain personal information or to trick visitors into transferring money. In some cases, they use them to distribute malware.
Examples of similar scams are "Win SAMSUNG GALAXY S22", "Loyalty Program", and "Win A New iPhone 13".
How did I open a scam website
It is very uncommon for scam websites to be visited knowingly/intentionally. They are promoted mainly via websites that use rogue advertising networks (e.g., illegal movie streaming pages, torrent sites, adult dating pages), shady notifications from other pages, and deceptive advertisements. Sometimes, scam pages get opened by installed adware-type apps.
How to avoid visiting scam pages?
Do not visit/use illegal movie streaming pages, websites offering to download videos from YouTube, and similar sites. Download apps and files from legitimate (official) websites and stores. Do not use unofficial pages, third-part downloaders, P2P networks, etc., to download software/files.
Also, do not click on ads displayed on questionable pages or allow websites of this kind to show notifications. If your computer is already infected with unwanted apps, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
The appearance of "AMAZON TRIAL" pop-up scam (GIF):
Text in this scam page:
Congratulations!
Today , 9.8.2022 You've been randomly selected to participate in this survey. It only takes a minute and you will receive an amazing prize: Iphone 13!
As with every we are offering great prizes to 10 users. Today's prize is an Iphone 13! Only 10 lucky users, will be the will be the winners!This survey was created to improve the services offered to our users. Your participation will be rewarded 100%!
They have 00:39:51time to close this survey.
Hurry, prices are limited!
Screenshot of another scam page:
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Quick menu:
- What is AMAZON TRIAL survey scam?
- 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?
Usually, it is a fake system warning, virus alert, or another deceptive message encouraging/urging website visitors to perform certain actions. For example, technical support scam pages display fake virus messages to trick visitors into calling the provided number.
What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?
Scammers use pop-up scams to extract money or personal information (or both), distribute malware, obtain access to computers, and for other purposes.
Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?
These pop-ups appear on websites that rarely are visited on purpose. Users end up on these pages via other questionable pages that use rogue advertising networks, shady advertisements, notifications from other dubious sites, etc.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan every website and can detect malicious ones. Pages running pop-up scams also fall into this category. Thus, this application will immediately warn you about untrustworthy pages and restrict access to them.
Outstanding!
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