Avoid being scammed by websites offering free items for Among Us

What is the "Among Us Free Items" scam?

"Among Us Free Items" refers to a scam run on various deceptive websites. This scheme is presented as a service, which can be used to obtain free content for Among Us, an online multiplayer social deduction game developed by the InnerSloth game studio.

Supposedly, users can obtain skins, hats, pets and other items for the game, however, rather than receiving the promised content, they are presented with false information intended to abuse their trust. Victims might be redirected to phishing web pages and/or to other untrusted/malicious sites.

This scam is in no way associated with the InnerSloth game studio. Deceptive websites can be accessed unintentionally via redirects caused by intrusive advertisements or by Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already infiltrated into the system.

After users select the content they wish to acquire from the "Among Us Free Items", the scam goes through a fake verification process. Once it is , they are presented with a message, stating "We have detected suspicious activity on your account! You need to verify your account!" (or one claiming something to that effect).

Then users may be asked to provide the full log-in credentials of their Among Us accounts, Thus, in addition to providing their username (which is necessary to obtain the "free items") - they must reveal their account passwords.

Thereby, allowing the scammers access to their Among Us accounts and losing them as a result, however, such scams may be used for various dangerous purposes. For example, to secure their accounts - victims can be told that they must install some updates, tools or applications.

By trusting these schemes, users can inadvertently infect their systems with various PUAs and even malware (e.g. Trojans, ransomware, etc.). Online scams are often used to promote other dubious and dangerous sites such as sale-oriented/promotional (of legitimate and harmful content), and rogue, compromised and malicious websites.

To summarize, by trusting the "Among Us Free Items" scam, users could have their Among Us accounts stolen, experience system infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.

As mentioned, deceptive web pages can be force-opened by PUAs, however, these applications have varied functionality and these features can be in different combinations. Adware-types run intrusive advertisement campaigns and deliver various pop-ups, banners, coupons and other ads.

These diminish the browsing experience and, when they are clicked, redirect to hazardous sites. Some can even stealthily download/install software. Browser hijackers are other PUAs that operate by making modifications to browser settings and restricting/denying access to the settings to promote fake search engines.

The promoted web search tools are usually unable to provide unique results, and so they redirect to Google, Bing, Yahoo and other genuine search engines.

Furthermore, most PUAs (regardless of type) can track data. They monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The collected data is then shared with and/or sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), seeking to likewise misuse it for profit.

To ensure device integrity and user safety, all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins must be removed without delay.

The internet is rife with various deceptive websites designed to abuse users' trust in different ways. Popular scam models include (but are not limited to): warnings that the device is infected or at risk, alerts that an essential piece of software is outdated or missing, fake prize/content giveaways and raffles, "amazing" offers and deals, etc.

"TikTok Verified Badge Generator", "BTC giveaway", "Double Your Bitcoins", "Fortnite Hack Generator", and "PUBG hack" are just some examples of online scams similar to "Among Us Free Items". Despite what these schemes offer, claim, request or demand, the purpose is identical: to generate revenue for the scammers/cyber criminals behind them.

Therefore, you are strongly advised to exercise caution when browsing.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs are often downloaded/installed together with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

By rushing through download/installation of software (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using "Quick/Express" settings, etc.) many users risk unintentionally allowing bundled content into their devices. Intrusive advertisements proliferate PUAs as well.

When clicked, the ads can execute scripts to download/install these applications without users' permission. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages from which they can be downloaded.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

You are advised to research all software before download/installation. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule), and other third party downloaders commonly offer harmful and bundled content, and are therefore untrusted and should be avoided.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious and malicious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others).

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

The appearance of "Among Us Free Items" scam (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:

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.

Quick menu:

• What is "Among Us Free Items"?
• STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
• STEP 6. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.

Removal of potentially unwanted applications:

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 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 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 among us free items scam website, 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 on "Extensions", in the opened window remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with among us free items scam website 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 among us free items scam website, 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.

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 among us free items scam website, 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.

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.

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