Do not trust the vpncheckyou.com deceptive website

What is vpncheckyou[.]com?

vpncheckyou[.]com is one of many deceptive websites that use scare tactics to trick people into downloading dubious software. At the time of research, this web page was designed to trick visitors into believing that their devices (iPhones) were infected with viruses.

It then encourages them to download an app called Antivirus VPN App. This software might also be used to advertise other dubious apps. In any case, no software that is promoted through deceptive web pages such as vpncheckyou[.]com can be trusted.

vpncheckyou[.]com targets iPhone users. According to this deceptive site, the visitor's iPhone was hacked after visiting an adult website. It also states that it has detected 14 viruses on the device. Note that vpncheckyou[.]com encourages users to remove detected viruses within two minutes, otherwise they will delete all contacts, photos, and damage the SIM card.

Visitors are instructed to remove the viruses with the Antivirus VPN App, which can be downloaded by pressing the "Install VPN app" button. According to vpncheckyou[.]com, the button supposedly opens the App Store website, however, at the time of research, it opened google.com.

Neither Antivirus VPN App nor software advertised on sites such as vpncheckyou[.]com can be trusted. Most people do not visit these web pages intentionally - typically, they are redirected to them through clicked dubious advertisements, other untrustworthy pages, or potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that are installed on browsers.

If installed, PUAs usually record browsing data and/or display unwanted ads. They gather information relating to browsing habits. For example, IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited websites, and so on. They sometimes also record personal details/data.

Furthermore, developers share the information with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

PUAs often display various ads, such as coupons, banners, various pop-up ads, surveys, etc. In most cases, these conceal underlying content of visited websites and, if clicked, open untrustworthy websites or even execute scripts designed to download and/or install other unwanted apps.

Threat Summary:

Name	vpncheckyou.com pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	According to this deceptive website, the visitor's iPhone is infected with viruses.
Detection Names	Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	134.209.60.38
Promoted Unwanted Application	Antivirus VPN App
Symptoms	Your device becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

More examples of web pages that are similar to vpncheckyou[.]com include topoffert[.]com, safari-extension[.]com, and manualchecker[.]com.

Typically, they display fake notifications relating to viruses, malware, and so on. They attempt to trick visitors into downloading and installing a dubious application, which will supposedly remove detected threats. If your browser opens websites of this kind automatically, it is very likely that a PUA is installed on the browser or operating system.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In most cases, potentially unwanted applications are downloaded and/or installed through clicked intrusive ads or when they are included into the set-ups of other software. The latter method to distribute unwanted apps is called "bundling" - developers use it to trick people into downloading and/or installing PUAs together with regular software.

Typically, information about additionally-included apps is placed in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and so on. People who download and/or install programs without checking and changing these settings often allow various PUAs to be downloaded and/or installed.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

No software should be downloaded or installed through untrustworthy websites, third party downloaders, installers, torrent clients, eMule (and other Peer-to-Peer networks), unofficial web pages, or other channels of this kind. Use official websites and direct links.

Check and, if necessary, change settings such as "Advanced", "Custom", "Manual" available in the set-ups. Dismiss any offers to download and/or install unwanted apps and only then finish downloading and/or installing software. It is not safe to click intrusive advertisements, especially if they are displayed on unofficial, dubious pages.

These ads usually lead to untrustworthy websites or download/installation of unwanted, potentially malicious applications. Finally, if there are any unwanted extensions, add-ons, or plug-ins installed on browsers, or programs of this kind on the computer, remove them immediately.

If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text in this pop-up:

vpncheckyou.com says
DANGER!

Your iPhone was hacked after visiting an Adult website and 14 viruses were found!
If this problem will not be resolved within two minutes, viruses will delete all of your contacts and photos and the SIM card will be damaged!

Please click the button below to get instructions for removing all viruses.

vpncheckyou[.]com encourages users to download and install VPN App:

Text in this page:

14 viruses were found
Your Apple iPhone was hacked after visiting an Adult website and 14 viruses were found! If this problem will not be resolved within two minutes, viruses will delete all of your contacts and photos, and the SIM card wll be damaged!
1 minute 57 seconds
How to remove all viruses:
Step 1: Click "Install VPN app" button below;
Step 2: You will be redirected to the AppStore;
Step 3: Install VPN app, open it and run cleaning procedure

Remove all Viruses    Install VPN app

Screenshot of another pop-up window on vpncheckyou[.]com:

Text in this pop-up:

vpncheckyou.com says

You will be directed to the AppStore now in order to install the Antivirus VPN App

After installation, start the VPN App to remove the viruses.

Screenshot of vpncheckyou[.]com pop-up scam (mobile version):

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. 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. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is vpncheckyou.com pop-up?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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