Avoid getting scammed by "Congratulations Samsung user!"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
"Congratulations Samsung user!" removal instructions
What is "Congratulations Samsung user!"?
"Congratulations Samsung user!" is a scam run on deceptive webpages. It claims that due to visitors' support of "Samsung" services, they're offering users a chance to win an "exclusive reward". It must be emphasized that this scheme has no actual connection to the Samsung company. Additionally, any prizes offered - are fake. At the time of research, the scam redirected to a website stating "Thank You". However, in most cases such scams are designed to steal users' personal information (e.g. name, email, banking details, etc.) and/or to trick them into making monetary transactions (e.g. paying shipping fees for the nonexistent prize, etc.). Typically, visits to deceptive/scam pages occur via redirects caused by intrusive ads and/or by PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications), already infiltrated into the system.
When the site running the "Congratulations Samsung user!" scam is entered, it displays a pop-up window. It congratulates users for being chosen as candidates to receive an exclusive reward, as "thank you" for supporting "Samsung". After the "OK" button is clicked, the pop-up is closed. The page contains an already spinning wheel-of-fortune prize draw. Once the wheel stops on a prize, the page shows another pop-up window. It instructs users to click the "Claim Your Prize" button and verify their information in the next page. This window also contains a countdown, which informs users how much time is left until the prize will become unavailable. However, as mentioned - this button does not redirect to a site in which the instructions can be followed. Users are redirected to a website simply containing the words "Thank You". By the design of this scam, it is highly likely that it was created to steal users' personal information and/or mislead them into transferring money to the scammers. Trusting "Congratulations Samsung user!" and other schemes similar to it can lead to a variety of serious issues, e.g. severe privacy concerns, financial losses and even identity theft.
Aside from force-opening various dubious (e.g. sale-oriented, rogue, compromised, scam and malicious) pages - PUAs can have other abilities. These applications can also deliver intrusive advertisements (e.g. banners, pop-ups, coupons, etc.). The delivered ads are more than just a nuisance - when clicked on they redirect to untrustworthy/malicious webpages and can even stealthily download/install content (e.g. PUAs). Another type of PUA can hijack browsers, by restricting/denying access in order to promote fake search engines. It is not uncommon for all types of PUAs to be able to track data. These apps monitor users' browsing habits (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect their personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and real-life details). This gathered data can then be shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), seeking to misuse it for profit. To summarize, PUAs can cause browser/system infiltrations and infections, as well as endanger users' privacy, identity and finances. To protect device integrity and user safety - all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.
| Name | Congratulations Samsung user! pop-up |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Scam claims visitors can win an exclusive reward. |
| Related Domains | rewardsawesome[.]com |
| Serving IP Address (rewardsawesome[.]com) | 91.224.58.27 |
| Detection Names (rewardsawesome[.]com) | Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan. |
| Distribution methods | Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
| Removal |
To eliminate Congratulations Samsung user! pop-up our malware researchers recommend scanning your computer with Spyhunter. |
"YOU ARE THE CHOSEN!", "Congratulations Walmart shopper!", "SPECIAL AWARD FROM OUR SPONSORS" are examples of scams using the same model as "Congratulations Samsung user!". Other popular ones include (but are not limited to): warnings that the visitors' device is infected and/or at risk, alerts that a piece of crucial software is missing and/or outdated, etc. The end goal of these scams is to generate revenue for their designers at user expense. This is achieved by pushing them to reveal their personal details, making monetary transactions, downloading/installing and/or purchasing nonoperational, untrustworthy or malicious content.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
PUAs proliferate through download/install setups of other programs. "Bundling" is the term used to define this deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing ordinary applications with unwanted or malicious software. Rushed download/installation processes (e.g. skipped steps and sections) - increases the risk of potential system infiltrations and infections. Some of these apps have "official" download sites. When clicked, intrusive adverts can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without user permission.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
It is important to research products to verify their legitimacy, prior to download/installation and/or purchase. Only official and verified download channels should be used. Sources like: P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), free file-hosting websites and other third party downloaders - are considered to be untrustworthy and can offer likewise dubious content. Download/Installation processes should be treated with care. Therefore, it is recommended to read terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and decline downloading/installing supplementary apps, tools, features and so on. Intrusive ads usually appear legitimate and harmless, however they redirect to highly unreliable pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). Should users experience adverts/redirects of this type, it is strongly advised to eliminate all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Spyhunter for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
Text presented in the initial pop-up:
Congratulations Samsung user!
We would like to thank you for your continuing support for our services - so we are offering you a chance to receive an exclusive rewardClick "OK" to claim your special prize
Good Luck!
Screenshot of the wheel-of-fortune for drawing the fake prize:
Text presented in this page:
User Loyalty Program 2019
Congratulations!Every Monday we select 7 lucky Samsung users to receive a special reward. Spin the wheel to claim your special prize.
Screenshot of the pop-up displayed, after the fake prize is won:
Text presented in this pop-up:
Congratulations!
(1) Samsung Galaxy S9 is reserved for you!To claim your prize, click the button bellow and verify your information on the next page.
Claim Your Prize
Your prize will expire in 5:07
The appearance of "Congratulations Samsung user!" scam (GIF):
Instant automatic removal of Congratulations Samsung user! pop-up:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Spyhunter is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Congratulations Samsung user! pop-up. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Spyhunter
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 Spyhunter.
Quick menu:
- What is "Congratulations Samsung user!"?
- STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Removal of potentially unwanted applications:
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
Windows XP users:
Click Start, choose Settings and click Control Panel. Locate and click Add or Remove Programs.
Windows 10 and Windows 8 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Mac OSX users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Remove rogue extensions from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon 
(at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the congratulations samsung user! pop-up, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the congratulations samsung user! pop-up, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions", in the opened window remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with congratulations samsung user! pop-up removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....
In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon 
(at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the congratulations samsung user! pop-up, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.
Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove congratulations samsung user! pop-up from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.
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Outstanding!