“$1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner” ads (scam) - updated Jul 2021
“$1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner” ads Removal Guide
What is “$1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner” ads?
Walmart Gift Card virus is a scam that tries to trick people into revealing information
The fake notifications offering invented Walmart prizes.
Walmart Gift Card Winner virus is a scam trying to swindle money or valuable information from unaware people. Experts note that this potentially unwanted program can also be found as Walmart virus since it interrupts its victims by delivering numerous fake offers to win online shopping gift cards. However, note that none of them is real. This gift card winner scam has already been included in the Fraud alerts announced by Walmart.[1] The main aim of this scam is to mislead users into thinking that they are about to win some money. However, they are asked to provide specific information which is considered to be personal. Beware that the scam is one of the numerous other scams spreading around. You should avoid them
Name | Walmart Gift Card Winner |
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Also known | $1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner |
Type | Adware, scam |
Related to |
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Main activities | Distributes fake ads, promises numerous prizes in exchange for personal information |
Main dangers | Personal data leakage, identity theft, money loss |
Removal | To remove the virus, get rid of all misleading apps on your phone or computer. Find the potential threats and bring your system to the previous state with the help of anti-malware tools |
Repair | The system can get additionally affected by the intruder, so you should rely on FortectIntego and repair any damaged parts and get rid of corrupted pieces |
Soon after being infected with the virus, the corrupted Walmart 1000 gift card popup ads begin to emerge. These notifications will feature all the recognizable features and signs of the company, such as the same color palette and logo. Thus, they might be difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones.
In reality, scammers use famous brand names like Walmart, eBay, Amazon, and others to get unsuspecting users involved in their shady businesses. $1000 Walmart gift card scam informs people about supposed lottery winnings and encourages them to play obscure online games or complete surveys in order to “win” the prize.
This is typical behavior of adware which is designed to display these pop-ups regardless of whether the user desires to see them[2]. Examples that are almost identical include National consumer center, Congratulations you won virus, Amazon gift card scam, and many others. All of this intrusive advertising is focused on promoting specific products, stealing personal information, or even installing malware on the victim’s computer.
If similar ads and pop-ups start appearing on your browser, this suggests that it is time for a system checkup. If you are not sure where to turn first, we recommend trusting $1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner removal to a reliable antivirus utility, such as SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes. If you are looking for a way to get rid of it from an iPhone, iPad, or similar mobile device, reset it to its factory settings and forget about disturbing behavior while using these devices.
Walmart Gift Card Winner - a scam designed by scammers to swindle money from credulous people.
Nevertheless, all this trickery comes to light when the user clicks on the Walmart Gift Card Winner ad and is immediately redirected to some infectious domain. Some less informed users may continue to install the offered applications or obtain suggested services even though such behavior can quickly lead to security breaches, privacy violations, or even financial loss.
That is why you should remove the virus without second-thinking as soon as you find its ads popping up on your browser. Remember that nothing comes free and such almost-too-good-to-be-true offers are most likely a scam.
For those who have never encountered adware before and are not aware of how to get rid of Walmart gift card virus, we suggest using the elimination guide below. There are brief step-by-step guidelines that will be easy to use even if you do not have specific IT knowledge.
Smartphones can also be infected with ad-supported programs
While most commonly users receive such scam offers during browsing sessions on their computer, we have received several reports that Walmart 1000 gift card popup on iPhone or iPad is also bothering smartphone users. They warn that their phones' performance has significantly decreased once annoying scam messages started to occur.
Furthermore, other operating systems on mobile phones are vulnerable to ad-supported programs as well — the gift card virus on Android is also present. Unfortunately, but this is the consequence of your irresponsible behavior when downloading third-party applications.
Crooks often hope to extort important personal information of even credit card details.
Smartphone viruses infiltrate the systems while imitating innocent applications. Usually, they are offered on unauthorized app stores as Flashlights or other programs. Note that in order to compromise your device they need to gain administrative rights and you are the one who gives them[3].
Therefore, do not download or install suspicious applications from third-party app stores. Always read the reviews online and make sure that they are developed by verified authors. Also, you should be aware that such apps as an Alarm Clock do not need Admin rights and this is the first alert that the program might be malicious.
Adware programs manage to stealthily enter your system without notice
While the distribution of the facebook.com-walmart.com virus is completely legitimate, we find it highly unfair from the standpoint of computer users. Developers of such programs bundle them together with free software and do not inform about it during the installation/download procedure.
Labeled as a Recommended or Quick install, this adware simply installs simultaneously with some audio or video player you have downloaded on your device. However, this could have been stopped if only you have chosen the Advanced installation mode in the software’s setup.
Carrying out the installation in Custom/Advanced mode would have allowed you to cancel the suspicious software from installing on your computer. You must search and de-select all previously ticked checkmarks which enable the installation of additional software with the regular program.
Users can get lured by an attractive ads. Nevertheless, they will get nothing in return, as it is merely a scam.
Ways to get rid of $1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner notifications for good
While there are several ways to remove adware, note that some of them are easier than others. Both manual and automatic elimination are possible. However, the latter one requires you only to download an antivirus tool and run an entire system scan.
For that, you can use one of the security programs listed below, because we are sure that they will do all the job for you. After $1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner removal, you will be able to enjoy full system protection in the future. Therefore, do not hesitate and invest in your security.
Experts from BedyNet.ru[4] note that manual elimination is a more complicated process. Thus, we suggest you use the instructions below which will explain how to do it step-by-step. However, it is vital to follow them attentively not to damage your system.
If you are wondering, how to get rid of Walmart Gift Card virus on iPhone, check what suspicious apps have you recently installed. Of course, you must remove all of them and then reinstall your web browser app. If the problem reappears, perform the factory reset. For that, use this guide: How to remove iPhone virus.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of “$1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner” ads. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into 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.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- 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.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of “$1000 Walmart Gift Card Winner” registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
- ^ Fraud Alerts that are not from Walmart. The official Walmart page.
- ^ What is Adware?. Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Antivirus Protection & Internet Security.
- ^ Kannon Yamada. The Seven Deadly Android Permissions: How to Avoid the Sin of Slothful Preparedness. MakeUseOf. Technology, Simplified.
- ^ BedyNet. BedyNet. Security and Spyware News.