How to stop redirects to and from takeprizes-now.life

What is the takeprizes-now[.]life site?

The takeprizes-now[.]life website promotes dubious content by redirecting to other untrustworthy and possibly malicious sites. This web page has been observed redirecting to the download pages of browser hijackers, however, redirects to the promotional websites of other rogue software are also likely.

Additionally, takeprizes-now[.]life has been known to redirect to sites running the "Dear [ISP name] user, Congratulations!" scam. Most visitors to takeprizes-now[.]life enter it through redirects caused by intrusive advertisements or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). Note that these apps do not need explicit consent to infiltrate systems.

Websites such as takeprizes-now[.]life operate by redirecting to, or causing redirection chains ending with, promotional/sale-based, untrusted/rogue, compromised, deceptive/scam and even malicious web pages.

The behavior of some rogue sites is dependent on visitors' geolocations (obtained from their IP addresses), which are employed to present people with regionally relevant content. This is the case with pages promoting certain scams, including "Dear [ISP name] user, Congratulations!". 

There are several variants of this scheme targeted at French, South African, Italian, Hong Kong, Chilean, and Lithuanian users, plus those located in other countries. The scam claims visitors can win a reward, further tricking them by claiming that the prize giveaway is from an ISP (Internet Service Provider) that is popular in their location.

They use a specific ISP to further give the impression of legitimacy. To receive the prize, users are asked to pay bogus fees (e.g. shipping, registration, subscription, etc.) and/or to reveal their personal information (e.g. names, addresses, emails, banking account or credit card details, etc.), however, the rewards are fake and users will not receive anything.

Additionally, any information users share can be stolen and misused. Note that takeprizes-now[.]life can also redirect to the promotional/download sites of PUAs. While they are promoted as legitimate software with a wide variety of "useful" features (which are usually nonoperational), these applications have dangerous capabilities.

PUAs classified as browser hijackers modify browsers, restrict/deny access to their settings and promote fake search engines. The latter typically cannot generate unique results and tend to redirect to genuine sites such as Yahoo, Google, Bing and others. Other unwanted apps can force-open dangerous websites (including takeprizes-now[.]life).

Adware-type PUAs run intrusive advertisement campaigns. They deliver pop-ups, banners, coupons and others that significantly diminish the browsing experience. When clicked, they redirect to similarly harmful pages and can even execute scripts to stealthily download/install unwanted software.

Furthermore, most PUAs (browser hijackers, adware, etc.) have data tracking capabilities. They can monitor users' browsing habits (browsing and search engine histories) and gather personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The data is monetized by sharing it with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). To summarize, the presence of PUAs can cause system infiltration and infections, lead to financial loss, serious privacy issues and identity theft. To ensure device and user safety, it is crucial to remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	takeprizes-now.life pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads.
Detection Names	Kaspersky (Malware), Fortinet (Malware), CLEAN MX (Malicious), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Serving IP Address	62.138.18.107
Symptoms	Seeing advertisements not originating from the sites you are browsing. Intrusive pop-up ads. Decreased internet browsing speed.
Distribution Methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications (adware).
Damage	Decreased computer performance, browser tracking - privacy issues, possible additional malware infections.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are countless sites similar to takeprizes-now[.]life including, for example, hajoopteg.com, verifycaptcha.com, and maranhesduve.club. The content and web pages they promote can be dubious and even hazardous. Visiting or trusting these sites can lead to especially serious problems.

They can endanger browser and system health, and user safety. Therefore, you are advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did adware install on my computer?

PUAs often have "official" promotional websites from which they can be downloaded. These apps also spread via the download/installation set-ups of other software. The deceptive marketing technique of packing regular programs with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of bundled content, which may pose serious threats to device/user safety. Intrusive advertisements proliferate such applications. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all products prior download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Untrustworthy sources such as Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, free file-hosting sites and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and bundled content.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, functions and so on. Intrusive ads may seem normal and harmless, however, they often redirect to dubious pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of takeprizes-now[.]life website promoting "Dear [ISP name] user, Congratulations!" scam (GIF):

Appearance of takeprizes-now[.]life website promoting SearchConverter PUA (GIF):

Instant automatic 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 malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner 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. 7 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 takeprizes-now[.]life?
• STEP 1. Uninstall adware applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue plug-ins from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove adware-type extensions from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 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.

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.

macOS (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 potentially unwanted applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application that causes takeprizes-now[.]life redirects, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove adware 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 takeprizes-now.life 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 takeprizes-now.life 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 plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with takeprizes-now.life 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 takeprizes-now.life 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.

Post a comment:
If you have additional information on takeprizes-now.life pop-up or it's removal please share your knowledge in the comments section below.

▼ Show Discussion