How to remove Scan-virus.com ads

Clicking Scan-virus.com ads might lead you to malicious places online

Users are typically are caught by surprise when they see a strange Scan-virus.com pop-up that shows up at the top or bottom-right corner of their screen. This can happen regardless of what they are doing – watching a video, playing a game, or visiting a website of their choice. It also matters little which browsers are used because Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge exhibit the same behavior. Likewise, push notifications can affect not only Windows but also Macs, as well as mobile devices.

The mystery is not so difficult to bring to light, however, as the reason why users see these notifications is because they allowed for that to happen when visiting Scan-virus.co website. People don't usually access these types of websites intentionally but are rather redirected there.

Once they land on the suspicious page, they can only see two components that it consists of:

• A push notification prompt that asks whether or not notifications should be enabled
• A deceptive message that tells that pressing the “Allow button is necessary for one reason or another.

There are plenty of different versions of Scan-virus.co scam you might encounter while browsing the web. In fact, if you look at very similar websites, all of them operate identically and even use the same messages and pictures to convince users. We have previously described websites such as Viewmightprice.top, Win-prize.club, Raordukinarilyh.xyz, and many others that use the same social engineering^[1] techniques and copy one another. Here are a few message examples:

Press “Allow” to watch the video
If you are 18+, tap Allow
Just one more step! “Allow” to continue
Click the Allow button to subscribe to notifications and continue watching
Click “Allow” if you are not a robot

Of course, these messages are created to scam users and make them subscribe to notifications without realizing it. Since the intrusive activity does not start immediately, many fail to connect the dots and understand what has happened. After encountering a website of such origin, the best thing to do is to leave the page immediately by pressing the “X” button on the browser tab. Otherwise, redirects to other malicious websites might occur, even after pressing the “Block” button within the notification prompt.

The worst part is that those affected by the issue would be exposed to potentially dangerous content. While some of the messages might simply convey users to check some attractive offers, others might show misleading information about quick ways to earn money or fake virus alerts. Therefore, security experts recommend never clicking the Scan-virus.co ads and removing the push notifications from this site instead.

This can be easily done via the web browser's settings – we explain how to do that below. It is important to note that after experiencing some unexpected activity on the browser or device, it is advised to check the system for malware and adware infections. Likewise, cleaning web browsers can also improve one's privacy and result in a better experience.

Push notification feature: is it the same as ads?

Everyone who used the internet for one reason or another encountered ads. Some of them can be barely noticeable and not in the way of site contents, while others can be horrendous ads that cover the whole page and later change its structure, making people click on links they otherwise wouldn't. Sadly, even the most prominent websites use these terrible practices, preferring extra cash over user experience.^[2]

Of course, such sites can simply be ignored and never visited; ad-blockers can also be particularly useful when dealing with intrusive or even malicious ads, which can be a great addition to overall computer security. It is important to note though, that adblockers might sometimes break certain page elements and prevent content creators from monetizing.

However, everything changes when these ads start showing up on the system level. In this case, we are talking of push notifications – a built-in API^[3] that is commonly used by website developers to promote their content and allow users to receive it in real-time.

Thus, there is a fundamental difference between ads and push notifications – the latter is not triggered by the entry of a certain website or by some installed malicious application but rather comes from the browser itself. For this reason, performing a scan with anti-malware software would not remove Scan-virus.com ads. 

Instead, you have to access the settings section of your browser and deny permission to show you notifications. For more details, check the next section of the article.

How to effectively remove Scan-virus.com pop-ups?

As previously mentioned, users rarely recognize the fact that they have been scammed by crooks to subscribe to notifications. Most people never accept the notifications, even from legitimate websites, hence they might also lack experience in how to get rid of them. If you are one of such people, please follow these instructions:

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
4. Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
5. Click the three vertical dots next to it and choose Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.

Google Chrome (Android):

• Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
• Select Notifications.
• Scroll down to the Sites section.
• Locate the unwanted URL and toggle the button to the left (Off setting).

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
2. Click on Privacy & Security section.
3. Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click the Settings button.
4. In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
5. Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.

MS Edge (Chromium):

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
2. Select Site permissions.
3. Go to Notifications on the right.
4. Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
5. Click on More actions and select Block.

Safari:

1. Click on Safari > Preferences…
2. Go to the Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
3. Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.

Make an adware check

If you have recently installed an app that started showing you ads and redirects to suspicious websites, you should uninstall it immediately. Potentially unwanted programs such as adware can be installed on the system or browser level, which limits or expands its capabilities, so keep that in mind if you are trying to get rid of it manually.

We strongly recommend scanning the system with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, or another security software to check it for adware. It is the main reason why one might be redirected to predetermined, malicious websites and increase the number of ads shown while browsing the web (some malware can also cause similar issues, although it can't be uninstalled manually). 

After removing all the unwanted or malicious software from your system, you should also clean your browsers with FortectIntego or employ the instructions we b provide below. The manual method could take much longer, although it's up to you which one you prefer. If you fail to clean your browsers, some adware components might remain, and data tracking, as well as ads, might still continue in the background.