How to remove Winweesue.live ads

Winweesue.live is disguised by crooks to look like an Amazon survey that gives away iPhones

Winweesue.live is a fake site created by crooks and disguised to look like an Amazon announcement. Users are informed that they are lucky and are eligible to win an iPhone 13 if they participate in a survey. Unfortunately, this is not true, as big companies do not throw giveaways and shower random users with gifts. We previously wrote about many similar schemes, like “Chance To Win The New iPad Pro” and “Loyalty Program.”

This page in particular may be used by crooks to collect sensitive information. After people finish the survey, they may be asked to fill out a form. They may be asked to enter their name, address, phone number, credit card details, or even pay for shipping to receive the non-existent gift.

Additionally, the bogus website may cause push notification spam. Crooks might use rogue advertising networks that redirect users to other scam pages. They may also try to lure out personal information, trick users into downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[1] and even malware.

Distribution methods

Most of the time, users land on pages, like Winweesue.live when browsing through other shady websites. That is why we recommend only visiting websites that you know and trust. Do not click on random links and ads even if they seem to be promoting legitimate products and services.

If you see a message that is supposed to be from a well-known company, make sure you are on their official website. If the message came to your email as a letter, confirm that the email address belongs to said company. Most importantly, never rush to make quick decisions.

Symptoms of adware

There is also a possibility that you are affected by a PUP that acts in the background and causes pop-ups, banners, and redirects. Such programs are known as adware,^[2] and usually, they sneak into the system from freeware distribution platforms. If you want to avoid bundled software, you should pay attention during the installation process.

Always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The most important step is to check the file list and untick the boxes next to any unrelated applications. We recommend using official web stores and developer websites for software installations. It may get costly but you should save in the long run by keeping your system running smoothly.

Check your browser

After an encounter with a scam page, you should take care of your browser. Follow the guide below:

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Cookies^[3] are small text files that can track your browsing activity and store information, like your IP address, geolocation, websites you visit, links you click on, and things you purchase. This data is normally used to personalize the user experience but crooks use it to make a profit. They can be sold to advertising networks and other third parties.

They can even be hijacked, and used for malicious purposes, which is why security experts recommend clearing them regularly. This process can be made easy with a maintenance tool like FortectIntego. Besides, this powerful software can fix various system errors, corrupted files, and registry issues which is especially helpful after a virus infection.

Otherwise, you can follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Clear cache and web data:

1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
4. Click Clear data.

Reset Google Chrome:

The fake Amazon survey page may also cause push notification spam. If you experience this, or the previous methods did not get rid of unwanted symptoms. It might be best to try to reset the browser altogether:

1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
5. Confirm with Reset settings.

Scan the system for adware

If you have performed all the previous steps but you still experience unwanted symptoms, you might have a PUP installed in your system that is generating ads in the background without your consent.

If you are unsure, that your system is completely safe and you still experience unwanted symptoms, you should use anti-malware tools like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes or other trusted ones and scan your system. Security software can also prevent such infections in the future by giving you a warning about suspicious programs. If you want to try it yourself, follow the instructions for Windows and macOS:

Windows 10/8:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Windows 7/XP:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Mac:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.