Remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam (Removal Instructions) - updated Jul 2020
2018 Annual Visitor Survey is a scam related to adware that delivers surveys which tries to trick users into believing they won a prize
2018 Annual Visitor Survey is the redirect virus that shows scammy messages, fake winner announcements, pop-ups with surveys and causes other adware-type program symptoms. Constant pop-ups and redirects indicate that you have a potentially unwanted program installed on the machine that is affecting the performance of your device significantly when you don't even know. Adware gets bundled with freeware and you download the program off of the internet during the installations that don't adequately disclose these additional applications. Unfortunately, when you notice phony messages, pop-ups, and redirects, the PUP is already running in the background.
You should note that 2018 Annual Visitor Survey is a scam that is identical to the 2017 Annual Visitor Survey so it is possible that a new version comes out each year to target people all over the world and obtain their information or generate views and page visits. The pay-per-click revenue scheme is typical for ad-supported sites and general PUP infections.[1] This fake pop-up tries to mislead unsuspecting users into thinking that, after completing a quick survey of 4 or more questions they can win a prize. Victims of this hoax are promised to get an expensive gift at the end of the poll in exchange for their participation.
| Name | 2018 Annual Visitor Survey |
|---|---|
| Type | Scam |
| Caused by | Adware/ Potentially unwanted program |
| Symptoms | Continuous alerts on Chrome, Firefox, Safari or other web browsers show up out of nowhere causing additional redirects and pop-ups with suspicious content. In addition to the surveys, commercial content fills up the screen keeping the user from accessing wanted pages and extremely frustrated |
| Main danger | When the user is redirected to an advertising site or fills out the survey with personal or sensitive information all that data can be obtained by third-party companies or even malicious actors |
| Elimination | You should remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey by running a full system scan with anti-malware tool so anything placed in hidden places can be found and deleted |
| System cleaning tip | We recommend taking care of possible damage and altered files with system repair tools or cleaning utilities like Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego that may fix the virus damage and help improve the general performance of your device |
To involve people into this fraud, 2018 Annual Visitor Survey virus offers[2] an iPad, iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. Anything valuable and popular ensures more interaction and users' involvement. However, the promised “prize” is bogus. After completing the questionnaire, you are shown various advertisements urging you to buy offered products. Despite the promises, you will never get a free gift. Remember that if the deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Although these fake 2018 Annual Visitor Survey messages differ from OS to OS and per each individual user, the following message is generally identical to those that users encounter continuously each year:
2018 Annual Visitor Survey
You’ve been personally selected to take part in our 2018 Annual Visitor Survey! Tell us what you think of Mozilla Firefox and to say “Thank You” you’ll receive a chance to get an gift cards, coupons and other amazing deals!
question 1 of 4
How often do you use Mozilla Firefox?
All the time
Sometimes
Never
Alternatively, you might be prompted to enter some personal details, such as e-mail, phone number or similar as a requirement to obtain the winnings. This information is used to send you spam e-mails or involve you in constant advertising of unwanted products/services. 2018 Annual Visitor Survey is related to ad-supported sites, so this is obvious.
Additionally, you might be asked to buy some bogus software that you definitely do not need. Promotional pop-ups, banners, and redirects may be already altered to fit your online browsing preferences from the collected information. Therefore, we advise you to remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey from Chrome, Firefox or any other web browser immediately to avoid further privacy issues.
What should you remove? The reason you are prompted continuously to complete fake surveys is caused by an adware program that might have invaded your machine without your approval. It can attack any browser, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Safari.
The name of the survey is typically associated with the browser name, such as “Chrome 2018 Annual Visitor Survey,” “Safari Annual Visitor Survey,” “Firefox visitor survey,” etc. This is done to emphasize the legitimacy of the survey. However, it is merely a scam, and these crooks should never be trusted. 
2018 Annual Visitor Survey popup is bogus. Its aim is to swindle users' personal information
2018 Annual Visitor Survey adware might cause additional symptoms on your PC
As soon as adware, which is responsible for showing fake ads on your browser, is installed, it starts causing these unwanted activities that typically bother PC users:
- Redirects to dubious websites (unfortunately, these redirects can lead you to malware-infested websites which can cause viruses on your computer);
- Installation of additional malware (typically, browser helper objects[3] and similar components are spread in a bundle with adware. They might be installed without your permission);
- System slowdowns and crashes. (Because of ad-supported software, your browser takes a long time to load websites).
Ultimately, the adware on your PC will multiply quickly and make your browsing experience almost impossible to perform. Without a doubt, 2018 Annual Visitor Survey removal is your only option if you want to keep your machine at its best state, so use anti-malware tools for the job. Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego might also find the unwanted or damaged files and fix the damage without interfering with crucial parts of the OS, so double-check after virus termination using AV tools to improve the performance significantly. 
2018 Annual Visitor Survey is the adware-related scam that tricks people into revealing their sensitive data.
Adware relies on questionable distribution methods
Inexperienced computer users often do not understand the concept of adware distribution. They think that malicious programs commonly enter computers without any action taken by the user. However, in most cases, the user is the one that triggers the infection even though the interaction required is only a click on the deceptive site or shady advertisement.
The most prominent adware distribution method is freeware and PUP bundling. This deceptive marketing technique is prevalent among free software developers, especially. They rely on inexperienced and inattentive users to use the Default/Recommended installation mode.
However, hidden components can be declined in Advanced/Custom installation settings. Therefore, we can assure you that the Default or Quick method is never the best way to install the software, especially when you go for a free download site or torrent service. Additionally, make sure you download software updates from legitimate sources only, as fake updates are popular amongst crooks.
Delete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey PUP for from your machine to end all the redirects
To stop undesired program symptoms and behavior of the adware, you should remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey from your machine. The program you need to find is not that visible as you may think. Luckily, the deletion of adware should not be a problem, as long as it is taken care of early and with trustworthy tools.
To get rid of all the 2018 Annual Visitor Survey virus symptoms manually, follow our guide below this article. There are step-by-step instructions showing how to clean each individual browser. However, please make sure you follow each step with caution as the incorrect procedure will fail to eliminate the virus.
If you lack computer knowledge, we do not advise proceeding with manual 2018 Annual Visitor Survey removal since you can damage additional parts and interfere with the system. You should install professional security software on your computer instead, as experts[4] always recommend.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
To remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam, follow these steps:
Remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Windows systems
To get rid of adware which is hiding behind 2018 Annual Visitor Survey from Windows, use the following steps:
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
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Uninstall 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam and related programs
Here, look for 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Get rid of 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam removal.
Eliminate 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Erase 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam removal.
Uninstall 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Google Chrome
To fix Chrome and get rid of annoying popups from this web browser, we highly recommend resetting it:
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam removal.
Remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam from Safari
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam removal process.
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
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References
- ^ Pay-per-click. Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.
- ^ Beware of scam surveys and fake free offers. ACCC. Australian Competition & Consumer Commission.
- ^ What is a BHO (Browser Helper Object)?. Lifewire. Tech Untangled.
- ^ Virusai. Virusai. Spyware related news.
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