How to stop redirects to Trueprofit websites that promote dubious content

What are the "Trueprofit" sites?

"Trueprofit" is a group of deceptive web pages that run various scams. Sites belonging to the group have been observed promoting "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" schemes. These scams operate by stating that Flash Player is outdated and offering fake updates.

Note that bogus software updaters are often used to proliferate untrusted and even malicious content. "Trueprofit" might also promote other schemes. Few users access deceptive websites intentionally - most are redirected to them by intrusive advertisements or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already installed on the device.

Online scams have just one purpose: to generate revenue for their designers. For example, "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" schemes claim that Adobe Flash is out of date and offers fake updaters. These are employed to spread adware, browser hijackers and other PUAs.

Rogue updates can even infect systems with malware (e.g. Trojans, ransomware, etc.). Therefore, never trust "Trueprofit" or similar websites. Update software only with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers.

Unwanted redirects to various sites can be caused by PUAs. These apps can force-open deceptive/scam, sale-oriented, untrusted/rogue and malicious pages, however, they can have additional capabilities. Adware-type PUAs deliver intrusive ads, which diminish the browsing experience, as they limit browsing speed and web page visibility.

When these ads are clicked, they redirect to similarly dangerous websites and can even execute scripts to stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Other PUAs called browser hijackers modify browsers, restrict/deny access to their settings and promote fake search engines.

Furthermore, most PUAs (regardless of type) can track data. They monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, search queries typed, etc.) and collect personal information derived from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This sensitive data can then be shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit.

To summarize, the presence of PUAs can cause system infiltration and infections, lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To protect device and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Trueprofit pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	Flash Player is (or might be) outdated.
Related Domains	trueprofit14[.]live; trueprofit37[.]live; trueprofit41[.]live
Detection Names (trueprofit41[.]live)	ESET (Malware), CLEAN MX (Malicious), Fortinet (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List (VirusTotal)
Promoted Unwanted Application	Scams promote various fake software updaters.
Symptoms	Your Mac 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.

"Gourluck", "Primechse", "Chooseyour" and "Stydbui" are some examples of site groups similar to "Trueprofit". These scams use social engineering and scare tactics to trick users into performing specific actions.

Popular scam models include: claims that software is outdated/missing, warnings that the system is infected or at risk, prize giveaways, "amazing" offers/deals, and many others.

The schemes attempt to trick people into downloading/installing and purchasing nonoperational/untrusted or malicious content, calling fake tech support lines, revealing their personal information (e.g. banking account or credit card details, etc.), making monetary transactions (e.g. paying fake fees or other fraudulent payments), and so on.

Deceptive/Scam websites are very common, and therefore you are advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Fake updaters are just one PUA proliferation method - they can also infiltrate systems via download/install set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content onto devices. Some PUAs have "official" download pages, which are commonly promoted by other deceptive/scam sites.

Intrusive advertisements also proliferate these applications. Once clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all products before download/installation or purchase. All downloads should be performed from official and verified sources. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive or bundled content.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, functions and other additions. Intrusive ads often seem legitimate and normal, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and so on).

If you experience these ads/redirects, inspect the device and remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of a "Trueprofit" website on Google Chrome running the "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" scam (GIF):

Appearance of a "Trueprofit" website on Mozilla Firefox running the "Latest version of Adobe Flash Player" scam (GIF):

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 Trueprofit 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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