This blog post aims to explain how you can detect if the $1000 Visa Gift Card pop-ups are a scam or legitimate and how to remove the $1000 Visa Gift Card scam pop-ups that is showing such fraudulent advertisements.
$1000 Visa Gift Card scam has multiple different instances and has been around for quite some time now. With new versions of this scam constantly appearing, victims are likely to increase. This is because each scam tends to mimic services that offer Gift Card that are legitimate, like in the case of the Visa Gift Card. And the scam of it may be seen in a lot off places across the web, even pop-up advertisements that may lead to it. If you have seen the $1000 Visa Gift Card scam, it is very likely that such pop-ups may have arrived onto your computer as a result of either a scam page being brought to it or having an adware that is causing such pages to appear. Read this article completely to understand more about the $1000 Visa Gift Card scam and how you can remove it from your machine.
Threat Summary
| Name | $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam |
| Type | Adware/PUP |
| Short Description | Shows advertisements belonging to different online scams, such as the Gift Card Scam family to which this particular scam belongs to. |
| Symptoms | You see pop-ups showing you have won a $1000 Visa Gift Card and must enter your personal and financial information on a fake site to claim it. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam. |
$1000 Visa Gift Card Scam – How Did I Get It
The $1000 Visa Gift Card pop-ups may begin appearing on your computer as a result of you having an adware or other potentially unwanted program that could be installed without you noticing. One way this can occur is via what is known as software bundling. Bundling is done when you download and install a freeware app, the installer of this free program may have a third-party app, like the adware causing the Visa Gift Card pop-ups embedded within it. And it is very difficult to find this adware app, since it is often either mentioned in the EULA agreement or seen as a legitimate “offer” included to the installation. But even then, the app can be seen in the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation modes and it is opted in as a default. This is why, it is strongly recommended to be extremely careful while installing new programs.
$1000 Visa Gift Card Scam – Analysis
The $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam can appear on your computer as a result of the following types of advertisements showing up:
- Pop-up adverts.
- Browser redirection ads.
- Taken over banner spaces.
The banners and pop-ups display images, like the following we have recently discovered:
The scam includes messages that appear like the following:
The messages all request users to either click on a button somewhere on the banner or answer a questions. As you can see from the images above, there are quite a few versions of the scam going around the web. All of the versions aim to lead victims to web pages whose main goal is to extract information from the victim by giving a survey to be filled out, hoping victims will provide their personal information, since they are promised a gift card afterwards. The following personal data may be requested from the victims:
- Gender.
- Age.
- Full name.
- Address.
- Personal ID number.
- Credit card number or IBAN.
- City.
- Zip Code.
- Country.
- Telephone.
- Email.
- Password.
We strongly recommend that you do not enter any form of personal information as you may become a victim of cyber-theft and even information theft. Cyber-criminals often sell personal data on the underground markets and they may sell it to absolutely anyone, so be really careful and never enter your data for a gift card.
In addition to this, since this scam belongs to a chain of gift card scams, you should beware of the following scams as well:
- [wplinkpreview url=”https://sensorstechforum.com/1000-amazon-gift-card-scam-get-rid/”]$1000 Amazon Gift Card Scam.
- [wplinkpreview url=”https://sensorstechforum.com/1000-walmart-gift-card-scam-virus-get-rid/”]$1000 Wal-Mart Gift Card Scam.
Furthermore, to avoid this scam, we suggest that you learn to spot the fake from a scam by firstly understanding that gift cards have a unique claim code which is entered only on the official profile of the service, in this case Visa. So never trust any websites for Gift Cards outside the original sites which they claim to be provided from.
Furthermore, we also recommend you to follow the tips underneath to further avoid these scams:
- Avoid any payment requests other than the official visa Visa authorized ones.
- Do not use Visa payment cards outside of sites that official support them.
- Always check if the website where you enter your data is real or a copycat (phishing site).
- Make sure to request some form of invoice or a guarantee that you paid when you use a gift card.
- Never enter your personal information on a survey before you have read the privacy policy of the website asking you to fill it out.
Remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Your Machine
If you see all sorts of ads, displaying the $1000 Gift Card scam and other suspicious and dodgy pop-ups on your computer, we strongly recommend that you sould remove this scam either manually or automatically, preferably by following the removal instructions which we have created for that purpose underneath.
If the manual removal (first two steps) seems to not give any results and you still see ads pointing out to $1000 Gift Card scams, then the adware is most likely still in your computer system. In this case, where you struggle to find the root cause, experts recommend to use an advanced anti-malware software. It has been designed to assist you in removing the $1000 Visa Gift Card scam completely by automatically detecting all files and objects related to it and deleting them. In addition, such anti-malware software is also capable of protecting your computer against intrusive programs and malware that might appear in the future as well.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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- Stop Push Pop-ups
How to Remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam on Your PC.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Video Removal Guide for $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam (Windows).
Get rid of $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam and remove related files and objects
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam (Mac)
Remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam will be removed.
Eliminate $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
$1000 Visa Gift Card Scam-FAQ
What Is $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam?
The $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam Work?
Once installed, $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
$1000 Visa Gift Card Scam can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the $1000 Visa Gift Card Scam threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.