How to avoid "Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen!" and similar scams

What kind of scam is "Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen!"?

After thoroughly analyzing this scam, we have determined it to be a fraudulent scheme designed to deceive visitors into believing they've won a prize. The ultimate goal is to manipulate individuals into transferring money to the scammers and (or) disclosing sensitive personal information. This and similar scams should be ignored.

"Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen!" in detail

This scam involves a fake pop-up message claiming that the visitor is one of 200 lucky people selected for an exclusive loyalty program and offers a "new Mystery Box". The message also includes technical details such as the IP address, device type, and location to appear more legitimate and personal.

The scam page also encourages visitors to spin a wheel to see what prize they could receive. Additionally, it contains fake comments to trick visitors into believing this whole "promotional contest" is real and legitimate. After "spinning" the wheel, users may be told they have won a prize, but in reality, it is a scam.

The next steps might involve providing personal details, paying a "shipping" or "administration" fee (or some other fake fee), or signing up for unwanted services. Users may also be taken to another deceptive page designed to further trick them into providing more personal information or making financial transactions.

In any case, the main goal of this scam is to trick the user into taking action that benefits the scammers. Recognizing such scams and never engaging with them is important to avoid monetary loss, identity theft, or other issues.

Threat Summary:

Name	Fake Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen! message
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	You are one of the 200 lucky people selected to participate in the loyalty program
Disguise	Legitimate notification regarding a prize
Related Domain	gepooghofeed[.]net
Detection Names	Seclookup (Malicious), 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.

Similar scams in general

These scams often trick users with false promises of prizes or rewards. Victims are typically directed to click on fraudulent links, enter personal information, or make payments. In many cases, the goal is to steal sensitive data or extract money. Ultimately, these scams are created for financial gain or malicious intent.

Some examples of similar scams are "Coca Cola Survey POP-UP Scam", "X Crypto Giveaway POP-UP Scam", and "Brad Garlinghouse Crypto Giveaway POP-UP Scam".

How did I open a scam website?

Scammers can manipulate search engine results to boost their fraudulent websites, making it more likely that unsuspecting users will stumble upon them. Scam sites can also be encountered through misleading links shared via email or messages or deceptive ads, pop-ups, links, or similar elements found on unreliable pages.

Torrent sites, illegal streaming platforms, and similar web pages that use rogue advertising networks can also direct users to scam websites. In other cases, users can open scam pages through ads displayed by adware or notifications delivered by unreliable websites.

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Only download apps from trusted sources, such as official app stores or verified websites. Avoid allowing suspicious websites to show notifications and refrain from clicking on ads, pop-ups, or links from untrustworthy pages. Stick to reliable search engines like Google. Always check website URLs to ensure they are legitimate before proceeding.

Keep your apps and operating system up to date, and regularly run security scans using a trusted antivirus program. 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 "Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen!" pop-up scam (GIF):

Fraudulent message presented on this scam site:

Congratulations! You have been chosen!

IP: 127.0.0.1

Device: Windows

Location: boston

You are one of the 200 lucky people selected to participate in the loyalty program! You can get a new Mystery Box!

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▼ 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 Fake Congratulations! You Have Been Chosen! message?
• 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?

In most cases, it is a fraudulent scheme involving a fake message or messages (e.g., a fake warning or notification about a winning). This type of scam is often designed to trick visitors into believing they have to take immediate action.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Scammers use these scams for various purposes, such as stealing personal information or money or distributing malware.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Scammers manipulate search engine results and use misleading links, ads, pop-ups, and notifications to direct users to fraudulent websites. These scams can also be encountered via torrent sites, illegal streaming platforms, and other pages utilizing rogue advertising networks. Adware and unreliable notifications can also lead users to scam sites.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner can identify harmful websites, including those displaying fake pop-up warnings and deceptive messages. If a site is marked as dangerous, the app will promptly notify you and block access to protect your device.

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