Prevent infiltration of unwanted apps promoted via Falseortruerdr scam page

How not to become a victim of falseortruerdr scam?

What is falseortruerdr?

Scammers use falseortruerdr page to promote an unwanted application called Smart Mac Booster. Falseortruerdr is a scam page that is used to trick people into thinking that their computers are infected with a virus and it can be removed using the aforementioned application. We strongly recommend not to trust this or any other similar page or download software from it. Quite often pages like this one get opened by PUAs (potentially unwanted applications) that users intentionally or unintentionally install on their browsers or operating systems.

Once visited, this page displays a pop-up stating that some other website that was visited earlier has infected Mac with a virus. This pop-up encourages visitors to begin the repair process. When closed, falseortruerdr shows a table which contains information about the infected device and encourages users to scan their systems by clicking the "Scan Now" button. If clicked, it opens another table with a name of the detected virus name ("Bankworm"), risk level and name of the infected file ("/os/apps/worm.icv"). It suggests to download this virus with the Advanced Mac Cleaner app, however, the "REMOVE VIRUS NOW" button opens a questionable page which is used to advertise Smart Mac Booster (the app we mentioned in the introduction). Either way, it is not recommended to trust software that is advertised through deceptive, scam pages. Pages of this type should be ignored and never trusted, all claims about detected viruses (or other threats) are not true.

Pretty often scam pages like this one are opened by PUAs, however, these apps usually display ads and gather data too. They feed users with various coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups and other intrusive ads. People who click them usually get redirected to various questionable pages or these ads run scripts that start downloading or even installing other PUAs. Additionally, unwanted apps collect various data such as user's IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of opened/visited websites and so on. Their developers usually share this information with other parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Threat Summary:

Name	falseortruerdr pop-up
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Fake Claim	This scam page claims that a computer is infected with a virus.
Promoted Unwanted Application	Smart Mac Booster
Related Domain	reward7533.falseortruerdr56[.]life
Serving IP Address (reward7533.falseortruerdr56[.]life)	79.110.23.105
Detection Names (reward7533.falseortruerdr56[.]life)	Fortinet (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information.
Removal	To eliminate falseortruerdr pop-up our malware researchers recommend scanning your computer with Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Falseortruerdr scam is similar to Fastsearchday, apple.com-scan-mac[.]live, apple.com-shield[.]live and many others. Typically, scammers use them to advertise unwanted applications (like Smart Mac Booster). These pages display fake notifications about detected viruses and encourage people to remove them using one or another software as soon as possible. PUAs that open these pages are also very similar. Their developers present them as legitimate and harmless apps, however, they force people to visit questionable pages, see unwanted ads and are used to gather various data.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most people download and install PUAs unintentionally. Typically, it happens when they carelessly download and install other programs that have PUAs included in their setups. Information about it usually can be found in setup's options like "Custom", "Advanced" and so on. The problem is that not all people check them and by not doing so they allow for unwanted programs to be downloaded and installed together with the desired software. In other cases unexpected downloads and installations happen when people click deceptive advertisements. There are ads that, if clicked, run scripts designed to download or install unwanted software or lead to pages that are designed to trick people into that.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is not safe to download files or software using various third party downloaders, unofficial (questionable) websites, Peer-to-Peer networks like eMule, torrent clients and so on. The best way to achieve it is to use official pages and direct download pages. Do not complete download or installation setups without checking "Custom", "Advanced" settings and deselecting offers to download or install unwanted software. Additionally, it is not recommended to install software though third party installers. Furthermore, various intrusive ads, especially if shown on dubious websites, should not be trusted and clicked. They either open untrustworthy (potentially malicious) pages or cause unwanted downloads, installations. Quite often browsers display ads or open unreliable pages when they are infiltrated with some unwanted extension, add-on or plug-in. If there are any apps (programs) of this kind installed on a browser or computer, they should be removed as soon as possible. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in the first pop-up window:

VIRUS FOUND

A website you visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.

Press OK to begin the repair process.

Screenshot of a table displayed by falseortruerdr:

Text presented in it:

VIRUS FOUND
A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus. A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your Mac OS X 10_14_3 device.
DEVICE INFORMATION
Brand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10_14_3
Browser: Safari 12.0.3
IP: -
Provider: -
Location: -
Scan Now

Falseortruerdr encourages to download unwanted software:

Text in this page:

DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove Bankworm from your Mac.
VIRUS INFORMATION
Virus Name: Bankworm
Risk: HIGH
Infected File: /os/apps/worm.icv
VIRUS REMOVAL
Application: Advanced Mac Cleaner
Rating: 9.9/10
Price: Free
REMOVE VIRUS NOW

Smart Mac Booster download page:

Smart Mac Booster app:

Instant automatic removal of falseortruerdr pop-up: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of falseortruerdr pop-up. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Quick menu:

• What is falseortruerdr?
• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove unwanted applications promoted through Falseortruerdr pop-up scam using Combo Cleaner:

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select "Applications". In the applications folder, look for "MPlayerX", "NicePlayer", or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Remove falseortruerdr pop-up related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/Application Support

In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons

In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.

 Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click "Start Combo Scan" button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

falseortruerdr pop-up removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove falseortruerdr pop-up related Safari extensions:

Open Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove falseortruerdr pop-up related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the "Open Menu" (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose "Add-ons".

Choose the "Extensions" tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Remove" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove falseortruerdr pop-up related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose "More Tools" and select "Extensions".

In the "Extensions" window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Trash" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.