You have won e-mail scam: how to spot it and what to do
"Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" is a popular scam which affects users who have a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) installed on their computer. Typically, users get infected with adware, browser hijackers, and similar PUPs without knowing about it because of bundling.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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You have won e-mail scam: summary
| Name | You have won |
|---|---|
| Type | Phishing message |
| Symptoms | A phishing e-mail asking you to sign in |
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Arrives as | |
| Pretends to be | Microsoft |
| 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 4 more facts
| Claim | Your account needs urgent attention |
|---|---|
| Asks for | Your password |
| First seen | 8 January 2018 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
What the You have won e-mail scam e-mail looks like
"Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!
Every Friday we randomly select 10 lucky visitors to receive an promotional gift from our sponsors. This is our way of saying "Thank you" that you are a faithful user.
Note: 10 randomly selected lucky visitors received this invitation and there are only few prizes.
You only have 0 minutes, 0 seconds to answer the following questions before prizes are awarded to another lucky visitor! Good luck!
Question 1 of 3: Who founded Microsoft?
(97% answered correctly)
How to tell the You have won e-mail scam e-mail is fake
From our report of Jan 2018 · not reviewed since
- (97% answered correctly) Bill Gates Mark Zuckerberg Warren Buffett
Is You have won e-mail scam dangerous? What the senders want
From our report of Jan 2018 · not reviewed since
"You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" - a pop-up scam that seeks to mislead Windows users
"Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" is a popular scam which affects users who have a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) installed on their computer.
Typically, users get infected with adware, browser hijackers, and similar PUPs without knowing about it because of bundling.
Once it gets into your machine, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today virus performs the following (and not limited to) activities:
Typically, "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" popup offers you a tempting prize (like iPhone, iPad, PlayStation or Samsung Galaxy smartphone) for completing a short survey which is designed to be easy to complete. After agreeing to finish it off, you are given two minutes of time. Otherwise, the prize is promised to be given to somebody else.
The "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" alert typically displays the following message:
We highly recommend ignoring them because, as you must have already understood, they aim to swindle your personal information. Instead of revealing it, make "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" pop-up removal your priority.
Visually, "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" scam, and its website themes are identical to Microsoft official website.That is why these sort of scams can be quite deceiving to a user. However, these surveys have nothing in common with Microsoft and are designed to trick you into proceeding with the scam.
Beware that after completing the survey, you can be prompted to enter your phone number and agree to pay $5 a week for a service you certainly don't need.
Hence you should ignore this pop-up, leave the web page you were redirected to and remove "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" scam from your computer immediately. For that, please use because it is almost impossible to detect adware responsible for such notifications manually.
- causes countless redirects to third party websites;
- generates various intrusive ads;
- collects personal data;
- misuses system's resources to mine crypto-currencies;
- installs other unwanted adware and malware.
From our report of Jan 2018 · not reviewed since
PUPs get into users' systems with bundling
Typically, potentially unwanted programs get into your machine without your consent.
There is a deceptive marketing campaign called "bundling" which is often used to infiltrate users computers with malware and adware.
Users who often tend to look for free software on the internet skip the most of installation steps. However, It is highly recommended using "Advanced/Custom" installation mode instead of "Recommended/Quick" because software installer usually hides optional installs there.
Always deselect any software you are not familiar with and unquestionably do not attempt to install software from unreliable sources. Furthermore, security specialists from virusi.hr remind not to click on any suspicious ads and try not to visit websites with questionable content (gambling, pornographic, etc.)
What to do after the You have won e-mail
If you only received the message and clicked nothing, step 3 is all you need.
If you clicked the link or typed anything on the page it opened, do every step, starting with the password.
Step 1: Change the password you typed on the fake page
If you entered a password after clicking the link in the You have won message, treat that account as known to the sender.
Open the provider's real site by typing its address yourself, not through any link in the e-mail, and change the password there. Choose a new one you have never used before, and change it on every other account that shared the old one.
Then use the option to sign out of all other sessions or devices, if the provider has one. This works the same in any browser on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Microsoft account, Security page (account.microsoft.com/security): Change password. Full procedure with screenshots: Turn on two-step verification / secure a hacked account
Step 2: Turn on two-step verification
Two-step verification asks for a code from your phone or an authenticator app whenever someone signs in from a new device. A stolen password alone is then not enough to open the mailbox.
Turn it on in the security settings of the e-mail account first, then for the bank, shop and social accounts that send their reset links to that address.
While you are there, check the recovery e-mail and phone number and the forwarding rules, which attackers sometimes change to keep access. The settings pages look the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Microsoft account: Manage how I sign in, where two-step verification and the sign-in methods are. Full procedure with screenshots: Turn on two-step verification / secure a hacked account
Step 3: Report the e-mail and delete it
Report the message instead of only deleting it. In Outlook choose Report > Report phishing, in Gmail the three-dot menu > Report phishing; the provider then blocks the same message for other people.
Do not reply and do not click anything else in it. On a work account, forward it to your IT team as an attachment first. Web mail and the mail apps on Windows 11 and Windows 10 offer the same options.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web: Report > Report phishing. Full procedure with screenshots: Report a phishing e-mail
Step 4: Scan the PC if you opened a file from the message
A page that only asked for a password installs nothing, so most readers can skip this step.
If the You have won e-mail or the page it opened made you download or open a file, delete it and run a full scan, then a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.
In Windows 11 and Windows 10 open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. The PC restarts and the scan takes about 15 minutes, so save your work first.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
To get rid of "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" ads, you have to follow the guide and uninstall adware from the device:
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.
Remove from Google Chrome
Follow the instructions to delete adware-related entries 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.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Follow these steps to remove all questionable add-ons that might be related to adware:
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.
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)
These instructions will show you what steps you need to take in order to delete "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" virus from Firefox:
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.
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.
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
Reset Internet Explorer to stop unwanted redirects and pop-ups:
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.
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online.
One of the basic means to add a layer of security - choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features.
However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful VPN - it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable.
Family photos, work documents, school projects - these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur:
- power cuts
- Blue Screen of Death errors
- hardware failures
- crypto-malware attack
- even accidental deletion
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
From our report of Jan 2018 · not reviewed since
Removing "You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" virus from your computer
You can remove "Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today" malware from your computer using professional security software.
You can also remove this adware manually, by using step-by-step guide written by our experts.
In this case, make sure you carefully follow every step in exact order to ensure a full You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today virus removal. Otherwise, these ads may come back right after rebooting the computer or your web browser.
Questions about You have won e-mail scam
Can reading ""Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!" infect my computer?
Reading it cannot. An e-mail is text and pictures, and current versions of Outlook, Gmail and other web mail services do not run code from a message just because you opened it. What can cause harm is an action:
- signing in on the page the link opens
- opening an attachment
- enabling macros in a document
The message ""Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!" was built to lead you to one of those steps. If you stopped at reading, delete it and use the report button so the provider can block the same wave for others. Nothing needs to be removed from Windows.
I typed my password after ""Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!". What now?
Act within the hour. From another device, open the real site of the account the message ""Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!" imitated and change the password. If the same password is used anywhere else, change it there too.
Sign out of all other sessions, check the recovery e-mail and phone number, and look for mail forwarding rules or filters you did not create. Then turn on two-step verification with an authenticator app or a passkey.
If the fake page also asked for a card number or a bank login, call your bank and ask them to block the card. Finally, report the e-mail so others are warned.
Is You have won really from Microsoft?
No. It is sent by scammers who copy the name and look of Microsoft. The sender address and the links do not belong to it, and the message asks for your password, which a real company does not request through an unexpected message.
If you want to be sure about your account, open the website or app of Microsoft the way you normally do, not through the message, and look for notices there. Then delete the message and report it as phishing. If you already followed its instructions, use the steps in this guide for your case.
Is it true that your account needs urgent attention?
No. The claim that your account needs urgent attention is the hook of You have won, invented to give you a reason to act quickly. Scammers pick a story that could plausibly apply to many people, so it may feel relevant to you, but nothing in the message is based on your real accounts or devices.
If the claim concerns a service you use, check it there directly, by opening the website or app yourself. You will find no such problem. Then delete the message and report it as phishing.
What happens if I do what You have won asks?
The scammers get your password, and they use it quickly. Passwords are tried on the real service within minutes, cards are charged or added to phone wallets, remote access is used to open your bank, and crypto is moved on at once.
Documents surface later as accounts in your name. If you already did what the message asked, do not wait to see what happens; follow the steps in this guide for your case today. Speed matters more than anything else here.
Will Microsoft refund me if I fell for You have won?
Microsoft did not send the message and is not responsible for it, so a refund usually comes from your bank or card issuer, not from the brand. Call the bank first if you paid.
It still helps to tell the real company: they can secure your account, add notes for their fraud team and take down pages that use their name. Contact them through their official website or app only, never through the message or a search ad. Keep the message as evidence.
How do I report You have won to my mail provider?
Use the built-in button. In Outlook, select the message and choose Report > Report phishing. In Gmail, open the message, click the three-dot menu and choose Report phishing.
Scam text messages can be forwarded to your carrier's spam number, which is 7726 in the US and the UK.
On social networks, use the report option on the message or the profile. Reporting trains the filters that protect you and other users, and it takes a few seconds. Then delete the message.
Should I reply or unsubscribe?
No. A reply confirms that your address is active and read, which leads to more scams. The unsubscribe link in a scam message is part of the scam and may lead to a phishing page. Mark the message as spam or phishing and delete it.
Block the sender if your mail app allows it, though scammers change addresses often. If the scam came by text message, do not reply STOP either. If it came through social media, use the platform's report function and block the account.
Can just reading You have won harm my PC?
No. Reading the e-mail does nothing to the PC. The risk lies in what the message wants you to do: your password. Every one of those needs an action from you, such as a click, a typed password, a payment or a call.
If you stopped at reading, you are fine. Delete it and report it. If you are unsure whether you clicked something, check your browser history for the time you read the message, and act on what you find there.
Will Fortect remove You have won?
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 You have won, 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
- FTC: How to recognize and avoid phishing scams (read October 7, 2026)
- CISA: Recognize and report phishing (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Protect yourself from phishing (read October 7, 2026)
- NCSC: Phishing attacks, dealing with suspicious e-mails and messages (read October 7, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)