National Consumer Center scam removal guide
National Consumer Center – a scam that misleads people into thinking that they can get a prize by submitting their answers to a fake survey
National Consumer Center is a scam which is trying to trick users into providing their personal information by convincing them that they can receive amazing prizes.
Questions about National Consumer Center ads
National Consumer Center scam is a misleading pop-up window trying to trick users into believing that a non-existent organization is willing to give them a free iPhone or a similar prize. This scam is closely related to Amazon Gift Card scam, Wallmart scam and similar ads which are fake. Typically, they interrupt people while they are browsing on the web and ask them to fill surveys to win expensive prizes. However, in exchange for an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy smartphone, participants are usually asked to provide their personal information, such as email address, phone number or even credit card information. Unfortunately, National Consumer Center is NOT real. Please, do NOT provide these details as their loss might lead you to identity theft, money loss or other cyber attacks.
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Consumer Center |
| Type | Scam |
| Distribution | Displayed on infected websites or legitimate sites of the related adware program is hiding on the target PC system |
| Danger level | Medium. Diminishes browsing experience and might trick into revealing personal information |
| Symptoms | Redirects to survey websites, the appearance of suspicious ads and pop-ups, freezing web browser |
| Affected OS | Android, Windows, Mac OS X |
| To get rid of National Consumer Center ads, install Reimage and run a full system scan | |
The main reason why the user is interrupted by National Consumer Center scam is the adware-type virus hiding inside the system. Typically, such viruses infiltrate the system, diminish web browser's activity and start interrupting their victims with different online scams.[1]. You can also suffer from redirects to malicious websites, annoying ads that show up in a new tab and similar content. However, this scam can also be noticed on malicious domains that have always been used for spreading such content.
At the moment, National Consumer Center malware is actively targeting Android users who are actively looking for ways that could help them fix their devices. In this case, the factory reset is probably the easiest way to fix the system. Also, you can run into the scam while using the Mac operating system. In this case, run a full system scan with anti-virus software and rest your web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and others.
National Consumer Center scam is typically promoting fake iPhones, PlayStations and similar prizes.
What is hiding behind this scam
According to victims’ reports, ads related to this scam are typically redirecting them to hxxp://electronicpromotionscenter.com/ or similar pages. The scam is suggesting to participate in online surveys to win Apple iPhone or another smartphone[2]. The described “deals” can appear in the form of pop-up, pop-under or new tab ads.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
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'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
There are many negative comments about these ads[3], and users typically say that National Consumer Center is simply a scam. Some users revealed that the ads promised free iPhones and other great prizes and then changed the award type, offering to win $100 Visa Gift Card in case the user spends at least $50 on some useless items such as diet pills or books.
According to victims, the National Consumer Center scam is seeking to swindle money, full names, and email addresses from unsuspecting victims. Therefore, we recommend staying away from fake ads and keeping your personal information to yourself because scammers can easily sell data such as your name or email address to third-parties.
By providing your personal information to the National Consumer Center survey, you can put yourself at the risk of identity theft and similar dangers.
Remember that your email address can end up in target lists used by spammers and sooner or later you might start receiving junk emails or even receive a malware-laden message. There is no doubt that the only way to avoid cyber threats is to stay away from described ads, and to block them, you must implement National Consumer Center removal using powerful anti-malware[4] software.
Although in theory, you can try to remove National Consumer Center manually we do not recommend choosing this option. Instead, we recommend scanning the system with a decent anti-malware software like Reimage to identify all hazardous programs and find changes they made in your computer system.
National Consumer Center scam is closely related to PUPs and adware-type programs that can infiltrate systems via bundling.
National Consumer Center scam is actively targeting iPhone users
National Consumer Center scam was noticed actively attacking iPhone users at the beginning of the year. However, the attack scheme remains the same. Victims are asked to fill out a questionnaire to obtain an expensive prize.
However, instead of getting information on how to accept it, people are asked to reveal their personal information, including full name, contact details or similar data. Thus, it's highly recommended to take immediate action and remove National Consumer Center from iPad, iPhone, and similar devices. You can try these methods:
- clearing the browser data and history;
- blocking ads by installing the adblocker;
- resetting the device to its Factory settings.
To eliminate National Consumer Center ads you need to find related PUPs on your system. In addition, stop visiting suspicious websites as they always are in the eye of hackers.
Prevent the scam by installing freeware on the system attentively
Adware which is responsible for interrupting you with scams is typically spread via deceptive software marketing method called bundling. This method allows grouping a couple of programs together and introducing part of them during the main program’s setup. Unfortunately, the majority of users overlook these statements because they rush to install programs.
We recommend choosing Custom or Advanced installation settings because these options give you the freedom to choose which additional programs to install and which ones to drop off. Standard and Default settings look trustworthy, unfortunately, only at first sight. They tend to conceal information about bundled programs.
National Consumer Center scam is typically promoting fake iPhones, PlayStations and similar prizes.
Get rid of National Consumer Center surveys
To remove National Consumer Center virus right now, run a full system scan using a professional malware removal program. The automatic removal option guarantees the easiest and least time-consuming removal of the bogus adware program.
However, if you think that you have time and patience to carry our National Consumer Center removal manually, you might want to read the tutorial we provided below. Please be careful and not rush when trying to uninstall the dangerous adware from your computer.
Security specialists from the lesvirus.fr[5] note that adware can be hard to detect and eliminate without professional software. Thus, if you left some of the PUP-related entries, you might have to deal with redirects and ads further. Therefore, after completing the removal, check your system with anti-spyware or anti-malware just to be sure that you did not leave any of its components on the system.
If the scam is appearing on Android OS, try checking it for malicious apps:
- Find the power button and press it for a couple of seconds until you see a menu. Tap the Power off.
- Once you see a dialog window that offers you to reboot your Android to Safe Mode, select this option and OK.*
- Reboot your device into Safe Mode with the help of steps that are given above.
- When in Safe Mode, go to Settings. Once there, click on Apps or Application manager (this may differ depending on your device).
- Here, look malicious app(s) and uninstall all of them.
* If this failed to work for you, just turn off your device and then turn it on. Once it becomes active, try pressing and holding Menu, Volume Down, Volume Up or Volume Down and Volume Up together to see Safe Mode. If that doesn't work, then search the phrase “How to put into Safe mode” and add your phone's model. Then, follow the instructions.
If the scam is still interrupting you, perform the Factory reset:
- Click the Settings icon on your device. You can find it among other apps.
- Select Privacy (or Personal) and Factory reset (you can also find it as Factory data reset, Backup & reset, etc.). We recommend selecting Back up my data to protect it from the loss.
- Click Reset device to remove Android virus and other storage from your device.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, Malwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove National Consumer Center ads, follow these steps:
Get rid of National Consumer Center from Windows systems
Open Control Panel and then access the list of currently installed software using instructions provided below. Uninstall unknown and suspicious programs that might be related to National Consumer Center malware without any hesitations. Then clean browser shortcuts according to the guidelines.
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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 National Consumer Center and related programs
Here, look for National Consumer Center or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Delete National Consumer Center from Mac OS X system
Move suspicious Mac apps to Trash. Use this guide if you have never tried uninstalling Mac Apps before.
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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 National Consumer Center or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Eliminate National Consumer Center 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. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for National Consumer Center 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 National Consumer Center removal.
Erase National Consumer Center ads 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.
-
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, National Consumer Center should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariUninstall National Consumer Center from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
If Firefox started to display false advertising described in the article, carry out these instructions.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select National Consumer Center 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. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete National Consumer Center removal.
Remove National Consumer Center from Google Chrome
To fix Chrome after the National Consumer Center hijack, complete instructions provided below. You need to eliminate all Chrome extensions that raise your suspicion.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select National Consumer Center 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 National Consumer Center removal.
Get rid of National Consumer Center 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. -
Here, select Extensions and look for National Consumer Center 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.... -
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 National Consumer Center removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ 7 Ways to Spot a Survey Scam. The Penny Hoarde. Money saving blog.
- ^ Identifying Survey Scams. SurveyPolice Blog. Online Surveys News and Updates.
- ^ National Reward Center - The Gang That Couldn't Lie Straight. Pissed Consumer. Online Reviews and Complaints Platform.
- ^ Jane McCallion, Adam Shepherd. What's the difference between antimalware and antivirus?. IT PRO. Enterprise and business IT news, reviews, features and how tos.
- ^ Les virus. Les virus. French cyber security news.
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