Cales.live ads (scam) - Free Guide

What is Cales.live ads?

Cales.live is a dubious website operated by crooks to generate revenue from antivirus installations

Crooks can use names of other brands to take advantage of people

Cales.live impersonates McAfee which is a well-known antivirus brand. The page was created by crooks to generate revenue. They use social engineering methods to trick people into thinking that their PCs are infected by multiple viruses. The site starts showing a fake animation of a system scan that states that there are many intruders because the subscription has ended.

The main goal of the scam is to redirect users to the official McAfee website so that fraudsters could earn money through the affiliate program. However, they may also earn passive income from push notifications. Some people report that after encountering the site, they started seeing annoying pop-up ads.

Crooks may be using rogue advertising networks that place ads leading to dangerous websites. They may try to lure out personal information or fool users into downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[1] and malware. Some users see ads that also look like security alerts.

What is adware?

Most of the time, the reason why people start seeing pages, like Cales.live is adware^[2] infections. It is advertising-supported software that can cause an increased amount of commercial content, like pop-ups, banners, and redirects. Usually, it is spread through freeware^[3] distribution platforms.

They include additional programs in the installers and do not disclose it clearly. That is why it is important to pay attention during the installation process. Always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The most important step is to check the file list and untick the boxes next to any unrelated applications.

It is best to use official web stores and developer websites for software installations. Apps that get listed on legitimate marketplaces have to go through an extensive review process. Nevertheless, you should still do your research – read the reviews, look at the ratings and the number of users.

People should check their PCs for adware if they see shady sites

Clear the browser from cookies

Cookies are small text files that can store various information, such as the IP address, websites you visit, links you click on, and things you purchase online. Crooks can use them to make passive income. Usually, they are sold to advertising networks or other third parties.

To prevent this from happening, we recommend using a maintenance tool like FortectIntego. It can clear your browsers from cookies and cache automatically, which should also result in better performance. This software can also fix various system errors, BSODs, corrupted files, and registry issues.

Turn off fake security alerts

To stop annoying virus alerts from Cales.live, you have to block the site permissions that allow it to show you push notifications. You can do that by following our step-by-step guide:

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 pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.

Google Chrome (Android):

1. Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
2. Select Notifications.
3. Scroll down to Sites section.
4. 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 Settings button next to it.
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.

Safari:

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

MS Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
2. Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
3. Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
4. Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.

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.

Scan your machine with anti-malware tools

If you disabled push notifications but still experience unwanted symptoms like unexpected redirects and an increased amount of commercial content, like pop-ups, and banners you should scan your system for adware. We suggest using trusted professional security tools SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes for PUP removal. It should detect most suspicious apps and remove them successfully.

Of course, you can also remove a PUP manually, but it is unknown which particular app could be causing annoying behavior, as crooks disguise them as “handy” tools. Manual uninstallation can also leave some traces of the program behind which could result in the renewal of the infection.

However, if you still do not want to use security tools and know which program is at fault, use the instructions below to help you uninstall it:

Windows 10/8:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Windows 7/XP:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Mac:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. 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:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.