Humourchapter.com ads (scam) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

What is Humourchapter.com ads?

Humourchapter.com pop-ups won't leave you alone

Humourchapter.com is a malicious website that shows false notification prompts

If Humourchapter.com ads are showing on your screen constantly, you are not alone. The website was developed by unfair individuals who use social engineering tricks to trick users into subscribing to push notifications without them understanding what they have done. As a result, they start seeing pop-ups at the bottom-right corner on their screen on a regular basis – an activity that can be not only disruptive but also pose a danger to one's online security.

Humourchapter.com belongs to a group of websites that are very prominent when it comes to fraudulent content online, along with Flash Player update prompts^[1] or technical support scams. The scheme allows crooks to trick people and later expose them to commercial content that brings them revenue, all while compromising victims' browsing experience.

In this article, we will discuss methods of how the scam functions and how to avoid similar tricks in the future. Most importantly, we will explain how to stop the annoying notifications for good and ensure that no malicious software is installed on your device.

Online fraud is nothing new, and it has been around for decades by now. While the early days of the internet allowed malicious actors to infect users with malware relatively easily due to a lack of security measures, the situation drastically improved over the years thanks to regulations.

However, there are plenty of insecure places on the internet, and even more, attentive users can become victims of a cyberattack. Phishing is one of the most commonly used techniques to promote malware downloads or disclosure of sensitive user data (for example, credit card details or account login information).

Push notification scams are usually less malicious than the above examples, but they can create a lot of frustration in people, mainly because of their disruptive nature. Besides, since many users are tricked into subscribing, they are not even sure where these ads are coming from or how to remove them.

Push notification scam explained

Humourchapter.com is just of thousands of websites that use push notification scam scheme. There are plenty of other similar sites (which are essentially a copy of one another) we already wrote about – Inteo.xyz, Seumsiden.online, and Brokenbad.biz are good examples.

They cost very little to make, and the profits received from ads justify the need for crooks to continue creating new ones. While content moderating authorities and tech giants shut down many of such pages, it often takes a while – at least not before at least several users get scammed.

There are several different templates that are used by Humourchapter.com, as well as many other similar sites. One of the most commonly encountered messages would be the following:

Press “Allow” to watch the video

In the background, site authors show an alleged video that is about to be played, although it is nothing but a picture. In other cases, you could encounter a message “Click allow to confirm that you are not a robot” – another popular notification that makes users oblige to the request to allow ads into their systems.

An example of Humourchapter.com scam page

In order to avoid being tricked by this in the future, you should always remember that the notification prompt functionality does not change based on what is shown in the background of the page. Every time you click the “Allow” button, you give the website permission to send you information.

However, since many people are tricked into subscribing, they don't realize that they themselves allowed the ads to be shown on their desktops. Luckily, there are easy steps you could take to deny this permission – check the instructions below.

Instructions: remove Humourchapter.com ads from your desktop

Web browser push notifications are harmless, as it is simply meant for websites to deliver information to users directly. First introduced over a decade ago by Apple, this feature became one of the most prevalent ways to deliver users relative information. Except that it is not always relative, as it depends on the website that is sending it.

If you agree for the notifications to be shown from trusted sources such as YouTube, you are guaranteed that you will not receive pop-ups more often than necessary, and the information provided won't be malicious. However, it is not the case for Humourchapter.com ads, as these commonly include scam statements or prompts to download useless or even dangerous software.

In order to get rid of these pop-ups, you have to access the settings section of your browser. Below you will find the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate 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.

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.

Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Gear icon at the top-right on the window.
2. Select Internet options and go to Privacy tab.
3. In the Pop-up Blocker section, click on Settings.
4. Locate web address in question under Allowed sites and pick Remove.

Check you system for malicious software

Due to the intrusive nature of pop-ups, users might think that it is some type of virus that is causing them. However, it is not the case, as it is the permission that allowed the site to send them to you. Nonetheless, there is something that should make you concerned.

There are two ways you might end up on scam websites:

• You were redirected after clicking on a link on another website;
• Adware is rerouting you.

Persistent redirects and ads may be a sign of adware infection. In order to remove adware and malware in the most efficient way, employ SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner anti-malware software. This is the easiest way to check whether some malicious files or processes are running in the background.

If your system turns out to be infected, use security software to eliminate everything found. However, adware was involved, you should also take your time and clear your web browsers properly for the best results. If a more malicious program, such as a Trojan,^[2] was found, you should also check the system for virus damage.

You can do both of these tasks quickly thanks to FortectIntego maintenance and repair tool. It can clean your web browsers from cookies^[3] and web data, as well as repair any damaged system components. Alternatively, you can also try doing it yourself if you like – we leave the instructions for that below.