Do not trust websites claiming you can win a "$1000 Venmo Gift Card"

"$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scam removal instructions

What is "$1000 Venmo Gift Card"?

"$1000 Venmo Gift Card" is a scam, promoted on various deceptive websites. The scheme is presented as a gift raffle in appreciation of users' loyalty to Venmo - a mobile payment service owned by PayPal Holdings, Inc. It must be emphasized that the "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" giveaway is a scam and it is in no way associated with the legitimate Venmo service. These types of schemes are typically used to gather victims' personal information (phishing) and/or trick them into paying bogus fees. Users rarely access deceptive pages intentionally, most enter them via mistyped URLs, are redirected to such by intrusive advertisements or by PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications). This software does not need express user permission to be installed onto devices. Following successful infiltration, these apps cause redirects, run intrusive ad campaigns, hijack browsers and collect browsing-related information.

Once a site running the "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scheme is accessed, it displays a pop-up window. The text presented in it claims that for their loyalty to Venmo, visitors are bestowed with the opportunity to win 1000 USD for their Venmo account. To enter the raffle, users are instructed to simply select a gift-box. They supposedly have three draw attempts. When the pop-up is closed, visitors are presented with a page containing multiple graphical renderings of gifts. Once a "lucky" present is selected, the website displays another pop-up window. It states that users have won a "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" and to claim it, they must click the button presented below - which will redirect them to a different site, listing further instructions. Additionally, the pop-up informs that in the webpage visitors will be redirected to - they will have to verify their details. As mentioned in the introduction, these kinds of scams are designed to collect private data and/or push users into making monetary transactions to receive the nonexistent prize. Information of interest includes (but is not limited to): names, surnames, addresses, telephone numbers, emails, banking account and/or credit card details. This information may be obtained by the scammers asking directly for it and/or through dubious payment gateways that record any data entered into them. Furthermore, scammers often target scam victims continuously. To summarize, trusting the "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scam can result in financial losses, severe privacy issues and even identity theft.

PUAs appear legitimate and typically offer various "handy" functionalities, which are rarely operational. This software is one of the main culprits begin rogue redirects to questionable webpages. PUAs can force-open sale-oriented/promotional, untrustworthy, deceptive/scam, compromised and malicious sites. However, these applications can have other/additional abilities. Adware-types run intrusive advertisement campaigns (i.e. deliver ads). The adverts seriously diminish browsing quality. Upon being clicked, intrusive advertisements redirect to harmful websites and some can even stealthily download/install software. Another PUA type called browser hijacker modify browser settings and restrict/deny access to them - in order to promote fake search engines. The promoted illegitimate search engines are seldom able to generate search results, so they redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other genuine ones. What is more, most PUAs spy on users' browsing activity. Information of interest includes: URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, IP addresses, geolocations and other personally identifiable details. The collected data is then monetized by being shared with and/or sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). Therefore, to ensure device integrity and user safety, all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be eliminated without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	00 Venmo Gift Card pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam claims users can win a Venmo gift-card worth 1000 USD
Disguise	Venmo
Related Domains	werewardus[.]com, promotionsonlineusa[.]com
Detection Names (werewardus[.]com)	CRDF (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Detection Names (promotionsonlineusa[.]com)	Kaspersky (Phishing), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (werewardus[.]com)	91.224.58.24
Serving IP Address (promotionsonlineusa[.]com)	172.64.162.8
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.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Malwarebytes. ▼ Download Malwarebytes To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Malwarebytes. 14 days free trial available.

"You've made the 9.68-billionth search", "International Official Lottery", "Gift card giveaway" and "2020 Web Research Survey" are some examples of other online schemes, similar to "$1000 Venmo Gift Card". There is a wide variety of scams on the Web. Common scam models are: fake prize giveaways/raffles, ludicrous offers/deals, warnings that the device is infected, alerts that an essential piece of software requires updates, and so on. Regardless of what scams claim, offer, request or demand, the end-goal is always the same - to generate profit to the scammers / cyber criminals behind them. Therefore, it strongly advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" promotional pages, which are often pushed by deceptive/scam sites. These applications are also distributed via download/installation setups of other programs. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing ordinary software with unwanted or malicious additions - is termed "bundling". By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. by ignoring terms, using "Quick/Express" settings, etc.) - users risk inadvertently allowing bundled content into their devices. Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well. When clicked on, the adverts can execute scripts to make stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Software should be researched prior to download/installation and/or purchase. It is recommended to only use official and verified download channels. Since untrustworthy sources, e.g. unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders - commonly offer deceptive and/or bundled content. Download and installation processes must be approached with care; that includes - reading terms, studying all available options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings and declining/opting-out from additional apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive advertisements appear legitimate, however they redirect to unreliable and dubious webpages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and so on). In case of encounters with adverts and/or redirects of this kind, users must inspect their devices and immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins from them If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scam's initial pop-up:

Congratulations!
We would like to thank you for your loyalty, and therefore we offer you a unique opportunity to obtain a $1000 to your Venmo account!

 

All you have to do to get started is to choose the right gift box.

 

You have 3 attempts, good luck!

 

Get Started

 

$1000 Venmo Gift Card

Screenshot of "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scam's background page:

Text presented in this page:

Congratulations!
You have an unique opportunity to obtain a $1000 to your Venmo account. All you have to do is to choose the right gift box.

Find your $1000 Venmo Gift Card

Screenshot of the pop-up displayed after the "lucky gift" is selected:

Text presented in this pop-up:

Congratulations!
You can claim your $1000 Venmo Gift Card

***RULES***

 

1. You will be redirected to our website to know the details.

 

2. Verify your information to begin.

 

Claim Now
Offer expires in: 03:50

Screenshot of the website "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" scam redirects to once the "Claim Now" button is clicked:

The appearance of "$1000 Venmo Gift Card" pop-up scam (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Malwarebytes is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Malwarebytes 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 Malwarebytes. 14 days free trial available.

Quick menu:

• What is "$1000 Venmo Gift Card"?
• 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 $1000 venmo gift card 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 00 venmo gift card 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 $1000 venmo gift card 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 00 venmo gift card 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 $1000 venmo gift card pop-up from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.

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