How to remove 5 Billionth Search scam

Google 5 Billionth Search website is a scam aiming to expose users to other advertising content

Google 5 Billionth Search is a misleading notification claiming that you've made the 5-billionth search query recently and will be rewarded with some type of prize. It looks very attractive by providing false information about recent winners one of which appears to be someone named Brad Jenkins from Brussels, Belgium who won a Samsung KU6179 Ultra HD TV. Afterward, the virus states that you are the next winner and in order to claim the prize, you have to pick one that is hidden behind three blue cups at the bottom of the message. Hackers who are standing behind this questionable notification also warn users that this message will lurk no longer than 15 minutes, and this is like a little push towards picking a prize faster.

Name	Google 5 Billionth Search scam
Type	Scam app
Goal	The main purpose of this scam is to encourage users to click on the fake prizes provided. Once the user clicks there, anything can happen – the person can be asked to fill in personal information, credentials, or redirected to a sponsored domain
Cause	The misleading message can start appearing as a result of adware or another PUP infection lurking on your computer system. Also, it is provided by third-party websites such as topreward.site
Removal	You can get rid of the suspicious content by using a reliable antimalware product or by completing manual guiding steps like those ones that are provided at the end of this article
Fix tip	If you have encountered any compromised areas on your computer, you can try recovering them with the help of Fortect Intego

The main reason why you are seeing prize scams frequently might be a potentially unwanted program that has infiltrated your computer system unknowingly. These apps are capable of installing on targeted devices by manipulating weak downloading settings and using freeware installations from third-party downloading websites such as soft32.com, softonic.com, cnet.com, and download.com.

Even if You've made the 5 Billionth search pop-up scam appears just once or twice while browsing the Internet sphere, you should still avoid believing in it. The scam message will try to encourage you to select a specific cup by promising that under each one there is a prize waiting for you. Also, the creators of this notification claim that you will be included in their Hall of Fame and receive some type of winner certificate. Take a look at the entire message:

You've made the 5-billionth search.

You were evaluated as the winner of today's 5-billionth search query a few minutes ago by our system!

Our last winner was Brad Jenkins from Brussels, Belgium, who won a Samsung KU6179 Ultra HD TV on 14.05.2018 with his 5-billionth Search.

We are proud to announce that you are our next winner.

Every time the 5-billionth search is reached, we proclaim a winner and reset the counter.

You may choose one of three hidden prizes below. In addition, you will be entered in our Hall of Fame and receive a winner's certificate.

Behind every blue cup is a prize. Click on a prize cup to uncover it.

For technical reasons, we are not allowed to keep your invitation open for more than 15 minutes. Choose one of the prizes below and follow the instructions on your screen.

According to peoples' reviews on Reddit.com,^[1] 5 Billionth Search scam can appear from a website called topreward.site that is marked as a deceptive site ahead while trying to enter it via the Google Chrome web browser. If you receive any type of notification from this domain, you should click the “x” closing button on the upper right corner of your browser window.

Do not click anywhere where this scam wants you to click on. By trying to claim a specific prize, you are likely to be loaded with congratulations notifications that you have won some type of electronic device, gift card, etc. However, then you might be asked to provide some personal or credential information. This is where the trickiest part starts.

Do not enter any personally-identifiable or sensitive data that can easily get misused in ID theft or monetary swindles. Hackers who are behind this message might try to gather such information for illegitimate purposes. You might also be asked to transfer a starter price that is claimed to be necessary for receiving the prize. However, note that there is no reward waiting for you and you will just fill up the scammers' pockets with monetary income.

Furthermore, if you click on Google 5 Billionth Search scam, you might get redirected to some unknown places. These locations might be sponsored by various developers but they might also carry infectious payload and get you infected with dangerous malware such as a Trojan horse or ransomware virus that can result in file loss, system and software destruction, personal information theft, and similar.

In case the scam is a result of some type of adware program that is lurking on your computer, you can start expecting other unwanted activities that will likely appear soon on your device if they did not have approached you yet. Adware apps are responsible for the delivery of advertising content and sponsored offers. These PUPs aim to collect pay-per-click^[2] income from each click that is made on their ads.

If adware is responsible for the appearance of 5 Billionth Search scam, you might also spot some changes in your web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. The suspicious app can make an impact on major settings such as the homepage, new tab URL, and fill the browsers with questionable extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons.

Continuously, adware programs are capable of recording browsing-related information such as Internet Protocol address,^[3] geographic location, recently visited websites, hyperlinks clicked, your browser type, etc. When this type of data is recorded, developers can share it with other parties for receiving income or use the collected information for developing targeted advertising campaigns.

To complete the full scam removal, you need to eliminate the cause of this scam message. For this purpose, scan the entire computer system with a reliable antimalware product that will detect all the infected sources and potentially unwanted content that might be brought to the machine during the adware infiltration period.

You can remove scam and the PUP behind it by using automatic software that is capable of dealing with the cyber threat within a few minutes of time. Also, you can try employing Fortect Intego for fixing any damage that might have been performed to your computer system. If you are curious to try to get rid of the scam and the PUP by yourself, at the end of this article, we have also provided some manual step-by-step guidelines.

Learning about PUP delivery and preventing it

Cybersecurity experts from LosVirus.es^[4] claim that potentially unwanted programs are always using deceptive techniques to arrive at their destinations. Most commonly, the “software bundling” technique is employed by various third-parties and seems to be very effective regarding the big number of users who often get infected with adware and other PUPs.

The suspicious product often gets installed to the computer system through other freeware or shareware that users download from unsecured sources such as download.com, softonic.com, and cnet.com. Be aware that you should always pick the Custom or Advanced installation mode in order not to let any suspicious downloads take place on your computer. Here, opt-out of all of the products that you do not want to see on your device.

Furthermore, adware apps and similar threats can get distributed through infectious advertisements and hyperlinks that were are able to meet on deceptive domains. If your web browser or security software is warning you that there is a potentially suspicious or malicious website ahead, you should avoid visiting it. Also, be careful with fake software updates as some of them might also be designed for the installation of PUPs.

Getting rid of PUP and scam from your computer is a must

Full removal involves getting rid of its cause that is likely to be some type of adware program. For this purpose, you can employ automatic security products like AV programs that will help to get rid of the potentially unwanted program within minutes of time. Also, this type of software will ensure that there are no suspicious components left lurking in your computer system after the elimination process is completed. Note that, if you leave any content related to this virus on your PC, the scam might return with its messages repeatedly.

There also is another technique that you can use to remove 5 Billionth Search scams and their cause from your device. This method required cleaning the entire OS manually and also refreshing possibly-affected web browser applications such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. You might use the help of automatic tools like PC repair app to ensure there are not damaged files left on your PC.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

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.