“Win an iPhone X” scam baffles unsuspecting users while trying to steal their money
“Win an iPhone X” is a suspicious message displayed to those users who have an adware program installed on their machine. However, you can also run into this scam after being redirected to a malicious website. Nevertheless, this message is merely a scam and should not be trusted by anyone.
Users, who are attacked and continue seeing “Win an iPhone X” message while browsing the Internet, are promised an expensive gift (in this case – an iPhone X smartphone) for free. All they have to do is select one of the “correct” gift box and retrieve the valuable item. However, we can assure you that all these promises are an utter lie and nobody is eligible for a gift. Similarly as Congratulations Amazon User scam and many other scams spreading around,[1] Win an iPhone X scam should be ignored.
Remember, whenever something is too good to be true – it usually is. This alert is not an exception. Thus, do not trust cyber crooks who created this scam because you can be tricked into revealing your personal information. Besides, if you get lured by criminals and try to participate in the competition, you might end up with the money loss.
Soon after picking the gift, the victim is prompted to enter personal details (email address, name, home address and similar data). This information is usually sold to third-parties for marketing purposes. However, in the worst case scenario, this can be acquired by cybercriminals who can use this data for illegal purposes.
In some cases, crooks might ask you to download and install unwanted programs which you do not require. These programs are apparently not free, so you can be tricked into spending your money on useless software and be merely scammed.[2] Thus, we advise you to remove “Win an iPhone X” virus from your computer using a robust security tool, like FortectIntego.
Win iPhone adware is also known to deliver banner ads, pop-ups, coupons, deals, offers and other useless advertisements. It can easily hijack Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and other browsers. Some of its popups are known to conceal the content of legitimate websites which can greatly decrease user's browsing experience. The only way to start browsing as previously is to get rid of this iPhone virus.
Finally, keep in mind that scams like this can redirect you to malicious websites which can infect your computer with dangerous viruses, like ransomware. It is a devastating infection which can lock up your files and render them useless. “Win an iPhone X” creators do not care where you might be redirected to as their only concern is extracting money out of victims.
We hope that you are convinced that this scam can be potentially dangerous and that “Win an iPhone X” removal is necessary for safe computer operation. You can follow our instructions below this article or eliminate unwanted applications with a powerful security tool.
Unwanted programs can infiltrate users’ machines while installing free software from the internet
Bundling is a prevalent technique used by marketing departments all over the world. Developers of unwanted programs understand that many users are not aware of their marketing scheme. Thus, they use this information to promote their products. However, we feel that this strategy is not entirely straightforward and might trick users into spending money on products they do not need.
Nevertheless, every user should be aware that they can acquire adware and other PUPs while installing free software. Therefore, we advise you to eliminate the possibility of infection by picking Advanced/Custom instead of Recommended/Default installation modes. This way, you will be able to decline any additional programs that might be offered together with the desired content. The following apps should be avoided:
- Optimization tools;
- Registry cleaners;
- Toolbars;
- Add-ons;
- Search engines;
- Free online games, etc.
Two simple ways you can eliminate “Win an iPhone X” scam from your PC
Security experts from lesvirus.fr[3] warn you that if you encountered “Win an iPhone X” message on your browser, hurry up and close it down immediately. Sometimes, the message might be impossible to close within the browser. You should then open Task Manager and shut down your browser this way. Then, you should proceed with “Win an iPhone X” removal.
There are two simple ways you can delete the undesired application: manual and automatic. We would like to warn you that if you are not familiar with computers, its files, and processes, you should avoid manual elimination method and download a robust security software instead. These tools are designed for quick, safe and easy PUP and all its components removal.
However, if you feel you are confident in your computer skills, you can attempt manual elimination method. You can find the tutorial written by our experts below this article. Make sure you execute the procedure precisely; otherwise, you risk a re-infection of a virus.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).
Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.
Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.
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