Freenotifications.com ads (fake) - Free Instructions

What is Freenotifications.com ads?

Freenotifications.com can cause push notification spam if users press the “Allow” button

Freenotifications.com uses deceptive tactics to make people subscribe to notifications

Freenotifications.com is a fake website created by crooks to fool people into subscribing to push notifications. They use social engineering^[1] methods to make people click “Allow.” As they start spamming users with annoying pop-up ads, they can start generating revenue from pay-per-click advertising.^[2]

They may also use rogue advertising networks^[3] that place ads leading to dangerous websites. As a result, users may end up on scam websites that try to trick them into providing personal information, downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[4] and even malware.

Freenotifications.com overview

It is uncommon to find pages like this in the search results. Usually, people get redirected from other shady sites that are full of deceptive ads and sneaky redirects. Pages that engage in illegal activities are unregulated. If users are not careful, they can end up on dangerous pages that could lead to monetary losses, virus infections, or even identity theft.

We noticed that often users land on push notification spam pages by browsing through illegal streaming sites. They look for movies and TV shows to watch for free and get deceived by fake “Download” and “Play” buttons.^[5] These are known as gateway websites. The messages that users can encounter are:

Type Allow to verify that you are not a robot
Click Allow to watch the video
Download is ready. Click Allow to download your file
Press Allow to verify that you are not a robot

Less IT-savvy individuals might think that this is a CAPTCHA verification step. However, a legitimate human verification process would never ask to choose between “Block” and “Allow” on a browser prompt. Normally, it requires identifying certain objects in pictures, like bicycles and traffic lights, or simply checking a box.

Freenotifications.com can remind people of a CAPTCHA verification which increases trust

Block the notifications

Because push notifications are subscription-based, they can be turned on and off only manually. We have a detailed guide for the most popular browsers below:

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.

Additional safety measures

After an encounter with a push notification spam site, it is strongly recommended to clear your browsers. Websites and web-based applications can use various tracking technologies to collect data like your IP address, geolocation, websites you visit, links you click on, and things you purchase online. All of this is done with the use of cookies and cache.

These small data files are not inherently bad. Legitimate sites use them to personalize the user experience by showing relevant results, etc. However, they can also be used to generate revenue by selling them to advertising networks, and other third parties. There is an automatic solution to this problem – FortectIntego. This powerful software can stop the tracking and delete the existing information, as well as fix serious system errors with a click of a button which is especially helpful after a virus infection.

Scan your system with anti-malware tools

Unwanted browser behavior can also be caused by PUPs. Sometimes pages like Freenotifications.com show up without any user input at all. This can be caused by adware^[6] which is a program that can generate commercial content in the machine without the users' knowledge. Many of them are disguised as “handy” tools so they would be more difficult to identify for average users.

That is why having professional security tools like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes is essential. A PC without an antivirus is like a home without a door. Anti-malware solutions can scan the machine and detect suspicious processes running in the background. Besides, it can prevent such infections by warning users about dangerous files trying to enter the system.

However, if you know what you are doing and which program should be eliminated, you can follow our step-by-step instructions for Windows and Mac machines:

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.