Survey-smiles.com: what it is and how to stop the URL:Scam alerts and redirects
Survey-smiles.com is a web address that security software blocks as URL:Scam and that readers were sent to by redirects. In our October 2026 test it showed only an error line and installed nothing; if the alerts keep coming, remove the extension or program that makes your browser ask for it, as the steps below show.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation.
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Survey-smiles.com ads: summary
| Type | Web address flagged as URL:Scam by security software; not a program. An extension or program behind the redirects is the risk |
|---|---|
| Risk | Medium: it installs nothing by being opened, but survey and prize pages collect personal details and can lead to more ads and unwanted software |
| Symptoms | Repeated URL:Scam alerts naming chrome.exe; redirects to survey pages; changed home page or search; pop-ups and sponsored links |
| How to get rid of it | Remove unknown extensions, uninstall programs added when it began, scan, clear site data and reset the browser (steps below) |
| Our check (6 October 2026) | A one-line error page on one visit; no redirect, no notification request, no pop-up on this one visit; not a clearance |
| Running since | Registered 22 June 2018, paid until 22 June 2027 |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 12 more facts
| First reported by us | 16 January 2023 |
|---|---|
| Detection | Microsoft Defender: nothing is installed by the address, so there is no Microsoft detection name for it. URL:Scam is the label another security program showed when it blocked the connection (our 2023 picture) |
| Installed on the PC | Nothing by visiting; an extension or program only if you or a bundle added one |
| Name | Survey-smiles.com |
| Evidence | One report; details still limited |
| Domains | survey-smiles.com |
| Ads shown as | Redirects through ad pages |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 16 January 2023 |
| Distribution | Typically ad scripts on free streaming, file-hosting and adult sites, typo domains and hacked websites |
| Damage | Redirects to scam pages, fake updates and tech support scams |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Facts checked on 6 October 2026 against our own test of the site in desktop Chromium from Europe and the registry's RDAP record; the alert wording and the redirect reports are from our January 2023 report and were not re-tested.
What Survey-smiles.com is and how people reach it
Survey-smiles.com is a web address, not a program, and not a virus in itself. People meet it in two ways: a page sends their browser there, or something already on the PC (usually an extension) keeps sending it. Only the second case needs cleaning up.
- 1
The browser is sent there
Our 2023 report described the address as one you may run into while browsing or be sent to without asking. Nobody types a name like this; a link, an ad or a script on another page opens it.
- 2
Security software blocks the connection
Readers told us their security program kept reporting the address as URL:Scam, and that the program named Chrome as the process. The picture in the history below shows that kind of alert: it says the connection to survey-smiles.com was aborted.
- 3
It repeats
A one-off alert means one page tried it. An alert that comes back every few minutes, or every time you open the browser, means something on the PC or in the browser keeps starting the request. That is the part to find.
- 4
What it was used for
The address is named after surveys. Pages of that kind usually promise a prize or a reward for answering questions and then ask for personal details or send the visitor on to more ads. We could not see its page in 2026 (see our test), so this is the usual pattern, not something we watched happen here.
- Address
- survey-smiles.com (written Survey-smiles.com in our 2023 report)
- Registered
- 22 June 2018, through the registrar Media Elite Holdings Limited, S.A.; paid until 22 June 2027
- Record last changed
- 3 April 2026, about six months before our test; the record does not say what changed
- Status in the registry
- Client transfer prohibited (a standard lock set by the registrar); it does not say who owns the name
- Alert name readers saw
- URL:Scam, shown by a security program that blocked the connection
- What it needs from you
- Nothing installs by visiting. Trouble starts only with an extension, program or notification permission you or a bundle added
Our 2023 report called it a redirect virus that mainly affects Windows PCs. A website is reached the same way from Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone, so it is not tied to one system; only the cleanup steps differ, and we give the Mac ones as well.
Is Survey-smiles.com ads dangerous?
Our test on 6 October 2026
We opened https://survey-smiles.com/ in a clean desktop Chromium browser from Lithuania and recorded the pages, addresses and requests. This was one visit, and a quiet result does not clear the address.
Survey-smiles.com · desktop Chromium · Europe · 6 October 2026
- What the page showedThe address answered with status 200 and a blank page with one line of text: "Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details." There was no page title, no survey and no ad. Sites sometimes show a fake error like this to visitors they do not want, such as automated browsers or visitors from some countries; we cannot tell which case this is.
- RedirectsNone on this one visit: the final address was the one we typed.
- Notification requestNone on this one visit. No service worker was registered.
- Pop-ups and new tabsNone on this one visit.
- Ad networksNone detected in the requests we recorded.
- Not testedOther countries, phones, a visit that arrives from an ad or another page, a second visit, a delay of several minutes, or a visitor who clicks. Adware pages often show their content only to some of these, and a page that sat quiet for us can behave differently for you.
Treat it as unknown On this one visit the address showed only an error line. That does not clear it: it says nothing about what it showed in 2023 or what it shows to you, and security programs have flagged it as URL:Scam.
What we know about the address over time
22 June 2018
The name is registered
The registry shows the current registration starting on this date, through Media Elite Holdings Limited, S.A. Nothing in the record says who uses the name.
January 2023
Our report: a blocked connection
Our report on the address was published on 16 January 2023. Its picture is not a page of the site. It is a security program's alert: a globe icon, "Threat secured", and the line that the connection on survey-smiles.com was safely aborted because it was infected with URL:Scam.
The alert shown in our 2023 report: the connection to survey-smiles.com was aborted and labelled URL:Scam. It shows what the security program did, not what the site displays. 3 April 2026
The registry record changes
The record's last change is dated 3 April 2026. A change in the record can be a renewal, a lock or a transfer; it does not say which.
6 October 2026
Our new check: an error line
The address answered, but the page was a single error line with no survey, no redirect, no notification request and no pop-up on this one visit.
22 June 2027
Registration runs out
The registry shows the name paid until this date. An address that is quiet today can be pointed elsewhere at any time, and the name stays the same.
What the URL:Scam alert and the Chrome.exe name mean
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| The alert says survey-smiles.com, URL:Scam | The security program recognised the address as a known scam page and stopped the connection. A blocked connection means the page was not loaded. |
| The program named is chrome.exe | chrome.exe is the Chrome browser, so it is the one asking for the page. It is normal for the browser to be named; the question is what told Chrome to ask: a page, an extension or a notification. |
| The alert returns again and again | Something keeps requesting the address: an extension, an open tab, a pinned site, or a notification you allowed. Removing the cause stops the alert; scanning for the alert's name does not. |
| The scan finds nothing | There may be nothing to find: the address is a web page, not a file. The cause is usually a browser setting or extension, which a scan of files does not always flag. |
Our 2023 report called a repeated alert "extremely suspicious behaviour" for Chrome and said the antivirus might be unable to remove the virus. The alert alone is not suspicious behaviour by Chrome. It is a sign that a request keeps being made, and the fix is to find what makes it, as the steps below do.
How people end up on pages like this
| Route | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Malicious or ad-filled websites | A link, ad or script on the page sends the browser on to the survey address. | Close the tab; do not click the prize or Allow buttons. |
| Free software bundles | A program is packaged with extra programs and extensions. Bundling is a normal way to distribute software and has been abused to carry unwanted applications, usually on third-party download sites that are not obviously malicious. | Choose Custom or Advanced setup and untick extras. |
| Fake updates | A page or pop-up says a player or browser is out of date and offers a file. | Update only inside the app or from the maker's own site. |
| Cracks and keygens | Installers for paid software such as Office or Photoshop from illegal sites can carry malware, including ransomware. | Do not download them. |
Our 2023 report said the unwanted program installs itself without the user's knowledge as soon as a source is visited. We correct that: opening a web page does not install a program by itself. Installs happen when you run a downloaded file or approve a browser extension, and a bundle or fake update often hides that approval in a click that looks harmless.
Flash Player is the classic fake-update lure. Adobe ended support for it on 31 December 2020 and blocked Flash content from running from 12 January 2021, and recommends uninstalling it, so any request to update Flash is a fake. That holds for Windows and Mac.
The real risks, from most to least serious
Seeing the alert is not what hurts. The risk is an extension or program that keeps sending you to survey pages, and what you type into the pages it opens.
- High
Entering personal details or paying on a survey page
Survey and prize pages are a common way to collect names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and card details, and redirects can end on dangerous sites, with financial loss or personal data going to unknown parties. If you typed anything on such a page, treat it as exposed.
- Medium
An unwanted extension or program on the PC
If the cause is a potentially unwanted application, it can show fake ads and promote more such applications, and it can install software such as browser hijackers. We could not test one for this address, so this is the general risk, not a finding about it.
- Medium
Changed browser settings
Such applications can take over the home page, search engine and new-tab address. If your searches look different, check the extension list and the search settings first.
- Low
The address itself on a single visit
On our one visit it showed only an error line. The risk is that it shows something else to another visitor or on another day.
How to remove Survey-smiles.com ads
How to stop the Survey-smiles.com redirects
Work in this order and test a few links after each step, so you know which one was the cause.
Which browser shows the ads?
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
chrome://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove on anything you did not install yourself, especially ad blockers, "search" or PDF helpers added recently.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Delete data.
Reset Chrome
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults and confirm with Reset settings. This resets the start page, search engine and pinned tabs and turns off extensions; bookmarks and saved passwords stay. To stop notifications after you close Chrome, also turn off Settings > System > Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
edge://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove under anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Delete browsing data > Choose what to clear, set All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Clear now.
Reset Edge
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values and confirm with Reset. Extensions are turned off and the start page goes back to default; favourites, history and saved passwords stay. To stop notifications after you close Edge, turn off Settings > System and performance > Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove add-ons you do not recognise
Paste
about:addonsinto the address bar, open Extensions, and choose Remove from the three-dot menu of anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear cookies and site data
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, tick both boxes and click Clear.
Refresh Firefox
Open the menu > Help > More troubleshooting information and click Refresh Firefox. Add-ons and custom settings are removed and the home page goes back to default; bookmarks, history and passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Take back the notification permission
Safari 18 and later on macOS: open Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, select
survey-smiles.com(or any site you do not recognise; we saw no notification request from it, so only if you ever allowed one) and set it to Deny, or click Remove. Untick Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications at the bottom so no site can ask again.Remove extensions you do not recognise
In Safari > Settings > Extensions, select anything you did not install yourself and click Uninstall.
Clear the site data
In Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, remove the site's data, or use History > Clear History > all history. To empty the cache as well, turn on Show features for web developers in Settings > Advanced and choose Develop > Empty Caches.
Check the Mac for apps from the ads
Ads also target Mac users with fake players and "cleaners". In Finder > Applications, move anything unknown to the Bin. In System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, remove unknown items. Then use Go > Go to Folder to check
/Library/LaunchAgents,~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/Application Supportfor folders and files with the same unknown names, and empty the Bin.
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 1: Scan the PC if you downloaded anything from the ads
If you only saw the notifications and clicked nothing, you can stop before this step. If a notification led you to download or run something, delete that file, then scan Windows.
In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan, then choose Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and Scan now. The offline scan restarts the PC and takes about 15 minutes on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
After removal: keep the ads from coming back
What to do if the redirects or alerts keep coming
If you saw the alert once and closed the page, you are done. If it returns, look for the cause in this order: extensions, installed programs, then a scan. Combining the steps works best, because a single cause is hard to see.
- 1
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Open the extension list in your browser (the tabs above give the exact path for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari) and remove anything you did not choose, especially ad blockers, "search" helpers and survey or reward tools (). Removing it is safe: you can add it back from the store.
- 2
Check the installed programs
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11 (Apps & features in Windows 10), sort by install date and uninstall anything added around the time the alerts began: select the program, click Uninstall, and confirm if User Account Control asks (click Yes). Wait for the uninstaller to finish and click OK. The older route, Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program, does the same and is still there. If you are not sure what an entry is, skip it and rely on the scan below (Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix).
- 3
Scan, then scan offline
Run a Microsoft Defender Full scan, then the Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) in Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. The offline scan restarts the PC and runs before Windows loads. Security software is the quickest way to find files; if it finds nothing, the cause is usually a browser setting, so go on to the next step.
- 4
Clear cached files and site data
Cached files and cookies can keep a bad address coming back, so clear them for all time in every browser you use. The tabs above give the paths: in Chrome, Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data, with browsing history, cookies and other site data, and cached images and files ticked, and All time as the range.
- 5
Reset the browser, then check passwords
Use the reset step for your browser above. If you typed a password or card number on a survey page, change that password now and tell your bank about the card.
On a Mac, moving an app to the Bin is not always enough, because adware leaves extra files, settings and components so that it comes back. Open Go > Applications, drag anything related to the Bin, then use Go > Go to Folder to check /Library/Application Support, /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons for entries you do not recognise and delete the related ones, including .plist files. The Safari tab above has the full list.
If it still returns: three more places to look
- 1
Reset Chrome sync
If you use Chrome with a Google account, a bad extension or setting can come back from your synced profile after you remove it. Open Chrome's Sync page and click the Reset Sync button at the bottom, as our 2023 report said. This step is not confirmed against Google's current help pages, so check the button name on your version.
- 2
Look in the hosts file
Open File Explorer, go to
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\, and open the file namedhostswith Notepad (run Notepad as administrator to save). Lines starting with # are comments. Any other line that maps a name to an IP address and that you did not add is worth a look; delete it only if you are sure. Our 2023 report listed this step without saying what a bad line looks like, so we have added that. - 3
Check Windows services
Type Services in the Windows search box and press Enter. Look for entries you do not recognise, double-click one, and read its Path to executable; if it points to a program you did not install, set Startup type to Disabled, then click Apply and OK. Our 2023 report did not name which services, so only do this for one you can identify as unwanted.
How to keep it from happening again
These addresses are reached by clicks nobody chose. These habits cut those clicks and the damage of one that slips through.
Do
- Download updates through the app itself or from the maker's own website, never from a pop-up or a page that says your player is out of date.
- Install browser extensions only from the extension store's own listing, and read the permissions before you approve.
- When an installer offers Custom or Advanced setup, choose it and untick extra programs and pre-ticked offers: bundling only works when nobody looks.
- Keep security software running in the background at all times and do not ignore its warnings; Microsoft Defender with SmartScreen does this on Windows.
- Keep a current backup of your files (File History or OneDrive), so an infection does not cost you your documents.
- On public networks, a VPN hides your IP address from the sites and ad networks you visit; it does not block ads or malware.
Don't
- Open sites that hand out cracked installers for Office, Photoshop and other paid software: the files can carry viruses, and this is one of the most common ways to get ransomware.
- Follow a request to update Flash Player: it has been unsupported since the end of 2020 and is no longer needed.
- Answer a survey that promises a prize in return for personal or card details.
- Click Allow on a page that asks to show notifications.
Questions about Survey-smiles.com ads
Is Survey-smiles.com a virus?
No, Survey-smiles.com is a web address and not a virus. It cannot infect a PC just by being opened, and in our test on 6 October 2026 it showed only a one-line error page and installed nothing.
The name is flagged by security software as URL:Scam, which means known scam address, and our 2023 report was about readers who kept seeing that alert. What you do need to look for is the cause that keeps sending the browser there:
- usually an extension
- a program from a software bundle
- a notification permission
Remove those, clear the browser data and scan the PC, as the steps on this page show. If you saw the alert once and closed the page, nothing is installed.
Is it safe to open survey-smiles.com?
It is not worth opening. On our single visit from Europe the page was an error line with no survey, no redirect and no ad, but that tells you little: sites of this kind often show different content depending on country, device, how you arrived and whether you click.
Security programs have labelled the address URL:Scam, and survey pages usually ask for personal details in return for a prize. If you open it by accident, close the tab without clicking, entering anything or pressing Allow. If you typed personal details, treat them as exposed and change any password you reused, and tell your bank if you entered a card.
What does the URL:Scam alert for survey-smiles.com mean?
URL:Scam is the name a security program gives to a web address it has on a list of scam pages.
The alert in our 2023 report says the program safely aborted the connection to survey-smiles.com, so the page was not loaded and nothing was downloaded. It is a block, not an infection. What matters is why your browser tried:
- a single alert means one page or ad sent it there
- while repeated alerts mean an extension
- an open or pinned tab
- an allowed notification keeps asking
Find that cause, and the alerts stop. The alert does not mean your files are damaged or your accounts are open.
Why does my antivirus say Chrome.exe is the process?
chrome.exe is the Google Chrome browser, so it is named because it made the request, not because it is infected.
Any request your browser makes, including one started by a web page, an extension or a notification, is shown under its name. The alert tells you the browser was asked to visit the address; it does not tell you who asked.
To find out, open chrome://extensions and remove extensions you did not choose, check Settings > Apps > Installed apps for programs added when the alerts began, and clear site data for all time. Then run a full scan. If the alerts continue, reset Chrome to its original settings.
How do I stop the redirects to Survey-smiles.com?
Work through the cause in order. First remove browser extensions you do not recognise, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. Then open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows and uninstall programs that were added around the time the redirects began.
Run a Microsoft Defender full scan, then the offline scan. Clear cookies and cached files for all time and reset the browser if the redirects continue.
If they still return, check Chrome sync, the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc and Windows services for unwanted entries. On a Mac, also check Applications and the LaunchAgents and Application Support folders. Change passwords if you entered any on a survey page.
How did I get sent to Survey-smiles.com?
Most likely a page or ad you opened, or something already on your PC, sent the browser there. Our 2023 report listed the usual routes:
- malicious or ad-heavy websites
- free software bundles with extra programs
- fake updates (Flash Player is a favourite lure although Adobe ended support in 2020)
- cracked installers for paid software
A visit alone does not install anything; an install needs a file you ran or an extension you approved. Think about what you downloaded or approved around the time the alerts began. If nothing comes to mind, check your extension list first, because extensions can keep sending a browser to an address long after you forgot adding them.
Is it a Windows problem only?
No. Our 2023 report said it mainly affects Windows PCs, but a web address can be reached from Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone, and the same redirects can happen on any of them. What differs is the cleanup. On Windows you remove extensions, uninstall programs from Installed apps and run a Defender scan.
On a Mac you remove extensions, move unknown apps to the Bin and check the Application Support, LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders for leftovers. On a phone, check the browser's notification permissions and installed apps. The steps for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari are in the tabs on this page.
Are the survey prize pop-ups real?
Pop-ups that promise a prize, such as a new phone, for answering a survey are a long-running way to collect personal details or to send you to more ads. Readers have asked us about them since at least 2015, usually after an unwanted program redirected their searches.
We saw no such page on survey-smiles.com in our one test, so we cannot say what it shows now. The safe rule is to close the page, not answer, and not allow notifications. If you gave a phone number, e-mail address or card details, expect unwanted messages, change related passwords and tell your bank about the card.
Do I need to reinstall Windows or buy a cleaner?
No, not for this address. A blocked-address alert is not a sign that Windows is damaged. Removing the extension or program that keeps requesting the address, clearing the browser data and running a Microsoft Defender full scan, followed by the offline scan, is enough in almost every such case, and Windows can reset the browser without touching your files.
Reinstalling Windows is a last resort if scans keep finding malware after you have removed everything. You do not need to pay for a cleaner:
- the free steps on this page
- including the built-in scan
- cover the same ground
Will Fortect remove Survey-smiles.com?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Survey-smiles.com, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- Verisign RDAP: survey-smiles.com registration record (read October 6, 2026)
- Chrome Web Store Help: Install and manage extensions (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups & malware (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Delete, allow, and manage cookies in Chrome (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Virus and threat protection in the Windows Security app (read October 6, 2026)
- Adobe: Flash Player end of life (read October 6, 2026)