Thickwatchhad.xyz ads are fake and seek to make you provide your personal details
Thickwatchhad.xyz is a scam website created by cybercrooks to mislead users. People do not encounter it intentionally but are rather redirected from some other website after they click a link or are rerouted by malicious scripts. People do not expect to see that they have allegedly won a prize from Google, Amazon, or another well-known company.
Usually, the message claims that the user was somehow selected to receive a free gift, which is usually something valuable, such as iPhone, PlayStation, or a TV. Surprised by such a course of events, some users believe that they are lucky and that they can actually receive a free gift.
However, the true purpose of Thickwatchhad.xyz is to make users provide their personal information, make them download suspicious software, or make them spend money on useless services. Usually, people are asked to provide their home address, email, or even credit card details, which cybercriminals can later abuse.
We do not recommend interacting with any of the messages shown on this scam site. If you have experienced frequent redirects to Thickwatchhad.xyz, there might be adware installed on your device, so we will explain how to remove it. Also, we will give tips on how to remediate the situation after being a victim of a scam.
| Name | Thickwatchhad.xyz |
| Type | Scam, phishing, adware |
| Goal | Make people provide personal information, subscribe to useless services, download malicious software or subscribe to push notifications |
| Distribution | Adware, redirects from other websites, malicious links |
| Dangers | Malicious software can cause redirects to malicious websites – financial losses, malware infections, and data disclosure can be more likely |
| Removal | To remove unwanted apps manually, you can follow our removal guide below. If the unwanted ads and other disruptive behavior do not stop, you should scan your computer with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner security software and delete all threats automatically |
| Tips | You should check your system with FortectIntego to fix virus damage and remove various trackers from your browsers |
Scammers seek to trick gullible users
The element of surprise is very powerful when it comes to various online fraud schemes. A gift card and similar giveaway scams often focus on convincing users to proceed thanks to familiar brands or company names, such as Google or Amazon. One of the most commonly encountered messages on the Thickwatchhad.xyz site is the following:
You've made the 9.68-billionth search!
Congratulations! You are the lucky winner!
Every 10 millionth search is reached worldwide, we will proclaim a winner to send out a thank-you gift.
Please select your lucky prize below and claim it by following the instruction.
The “You've made the 9.68-billionth search!” fake message implies that users were selected due to them performing the 10 millionth search and that they are now eligible for a “thank-you” gift. They are then shown three trophies or presents, which look identical – users are meant to choose one of the alleged gifts.
Once they do, they usually find out that they are about to receive a new iPhone, PlayStation, or a similar valuable item, which makes them happy. Without thinking much, they proceed and then are asked to enter their home address, email, and sometimes even credit card information to allegedly receive the gift.
However, the item never arrives, and only later do users realize that they have provided their personal information to cybercriminals. In some other cases, people might be tricked into subscribing to useless services or paying money directly.
What to do now?
After you encounter a scam online, the best thing to do is to leave the page by clicking the “X” button on the browser tab, without interacting with it at all. Some users who understand it's a scam wonder whether their personal safety or computer security has been compromised; as long as you don't interact with any element of the scam site, you are likely to be safe.
However, if you have provided your personal information, expect to receive more phishing attempts against you. For example, if crooks know your phone number and name, they might call you with this information, pretending to be somebody from law enforcement or other reputable association, and make you pay money.
Thus, the first advice is to ignore all the incoming emails, calls, letters, or any other communications that might seem believable. Always contact the party the crooks claim to be direct via the official support number, and never provide further personal details.
Check your device for adware
Your next step is to check your device for infections. Sometimes, the main goal of online fraud is to make people download and install software, which crooks benefit financially from. This software sometimes could be categorized as adware or even malware, so it is important to check your system thoroughly.
Likewise, if you experience more ads than you are used to and frequently encounter phishing content online, adware could already be installed on your system. You can opt to remove it automatically with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes security software or proceed with the instructions below.
Windows
- Enter Control Panel into the Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
Mac
While moving apps into Trash is usually how you delete most normal applications, adware tends to create additional files for persistence. Thus, you should look for .plist and other files that could be related to the virus. If you are not sure, skip this step entirely.
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
You should also check the installed extensions, as adware is known to spread as such. You can find the full list of the installed add-ons by clicking the “Extensions” button next to the browser menu or accessing browser settings directly.
Check your browsers
After adware or malware removal, we strongly recommend cleaning your web browsers from trackers and other leftover files. Upon installation, adware leaves cookies and other items that could be used by third parties to monitor your online activities. For example, they might trace which websites you visit, which links you click, and what you are looking for via your search queries.
The easiest way to clear your browsers and fix virus damage after malware removal is by using the FortectIntego repair and maintenance app. It can find damaged system components and replace them with brand new ones within just a few minutes. Likewise, the browser cleaning process is performed at the same time, and you don't have to worry about anything. If you would like to do that manually, check out the instructions below.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.
Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.
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