Whenwem.online ads: what it is and how to remove it

From our report of Aug 2021 · not reviewed since

Whenwem.online ads will not leave you alone until you deny them via browser settings

Whenwem.online is a malicious website that attempts to make visitors allow notifications into their machines using fraud.

Upon site entry, users are immediately presented with a notification that aggressively asks to press the "Allow" button. If this action is fulfilled, users would soon start seeping intrusive pop-ups appearing directly on their screen, regardless of MS Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or any other browser is used. You might also encounter the same behavior on your Android device or iPhone.

These pop-ups are nothing that can be counted as secure. While some of the links might lead to relatively safe websites which advertise various software (for example, VPN), there are plenty of pages that might be extremely dangerous. Here are a few examples of what you should never click on:

If you are here because you don't know how to stop the annoying pop-ups, you came to the right place.

• Your computer is infected and you need to download "removal software";
• You won an expensive gift - all you have to do is enter your personal information to receive it;
• Get-rich-quick schemes: unrealistic job or investment offers;
• Promotion of various dubious software (usually, potentially unwanted programs), etc.
• Advertisements of gambling, adult-oriented, and similar high-risk sites.

From our report of Aug 2021 · not reviewed since

Why are you seeing the annoying ads?

Considering how intrusive the push notifications can be, many users might believe that their systems might be infected with a virus.

To make matters worse, many users don't know that they were tricked online. In any case, the situation can go both ways - there might or might not be a potentially unwanted program (or, in some cases, something more sinister) installed on your PC. It all depends on the situation, although you should never panic, as there is always a solution available.

In most cases, users are redirected to Whenwem.online or a similar website by accident. This typically happens when a link is clicked on another website or due to the URL redirection. Such behavior is typical to websites of dubious origin, including torrents, gambling, and similar sites. In fact, you might be redirected to several other pages before you land on this one.

Alternatively, you could have ended up on this malicious website due to adware - a type of potentially unwanted program which spreads using unfair tactics and focuses on delivering ads to users. Some more aggressive adware might also engage in browser redirects. Thus, if you see banners, deals, offers, coupons, in-text links, and similar ads frequently, you should definitely check your system for adware.

The easiest way to eliminate unwanted or malicious software from your system is by scanning it with powerful anti-virus software.

Alternatively, you can also refer to our instructions at the bottom of this article in order to delete PUPs manually. This choice is rather risky because some adware might be difficult to find and remove. Finally, you should also take care of your web browsers; cleaning them might take a while, so you could instead employ to do that for you automatically.

From our report of Aug 2021 · not reviewed since

Scam explained

Once you land on the destination page, the scam begins to take its shape.

For the scheme to work, crooks need to convince visitors that what they are clicking on is not what it actually is - and they use various tricks for that.

It is worth noting that the pop-ups themselves are not malicious; it is the contents of the notifications that frequently are. The feature is legitimate and is used by many websites around the internet. Those who are willing to receive information from the desired website can do so by allowing it to send them notifications.

However, when it comes to scam websites, everything changes, as users are not provided a fair explanation about what they actually agree to. Here is one of the examples or a message you might encounter upon accessing the Whenwem.online site:

You probably heard of captcha codes before (and struggled with those) - they are used to protect websites from being attacked by bots or from DDoS attacks. This feature is so frequently used that it is recognizable straight away. Threat actors want to make an impression that this is a simple verification process, while in reality, it is what it is - permission for the website to show notifications.

Scammers also use various other statements to trick people, including showing a fake video still, saying that the only way to close the window is by pressing the "Allow" button, etc. These tactics are particularly common and used by many similar malicious sites, including Lazyovertime.com, Eaddressor.top, Allhotfeed.com, and many others.

From our report of Aug 2021 · not reviewed since

How to deny Whenwem.online permission to show you ads

If you are seeing Whenwem.online ads regularly, you can remove them quite easily.

All you have to do is access the settings panel of your web browser and block the permission for the site to send you notifications.

Google Chrome (desktop):

Google Chrome (Android):

MS Edge (Chromium):

In some cases, problems might not go away even after performing these steps above. If that is the case for you, it is likely that there is an adware app installed on your system, and you knew nothing of it.

As we already mentioned, removing PUPs manually might be rather difficult, so you should instead rely on security software - it can also check whether malware is running in the background. Also, don't forget to clean your web browsers.

• Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
• Locate Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
• Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
• Click the three vertical dots next to it and pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.
• Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
• Select Notifications.
• Locate the unwanted URL and toggle the button to the left (Off setting).
• Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
• Click on Privacy & Security section.
• Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click Settings button next to it.
• In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
• Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.
• Click on Safari > Preferences...
• Go to Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
• Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.
• Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
• Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
• Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
• Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.
• Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
• Select Site permissions.
• Go to Notifications on the right.
• Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
• Click on More actions and select Block.
• Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Gear icon at the top-right on the window.
• Select Internet options and go to Privacy tab.
• In the Pop-up Blocker section, click on Settings.
• Locate web address in question under Allowed sites and pick Remove.

From our report of Aug 2021 · not reviewed since

More from our earlier report on Whenwem.online

• Redirects and ads might indicate adware infection, so you should check your system with anti-malware.