by Gergana Ivanova | March 7, 2018 | 1 Comment adware, browser redirect, removal guide, scam

Threat Summary How Does (1) Microsoft Gift Scam Spread (1) Microsoft Gift – Activity and Purpose

This article provides a step-by-step guide that shows how to remove the “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” from your PC.

The message “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” is yet another scam that aims to trick you into participating in a survey in order to receive a promotional gift. The page is designed to look like an actual Microsoft web page. You can see the well-known company logo and several supposedly fake comments at the end of the page. The message “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” appears in the browser after you get redirected to a web page associated with the scam. Recently, the domain whileyouhavetheprize.stream has been detected to push this nasty scam message. The reason why you see such messages on your PC is probably a nasty program that has been installed on the device with or without your knowledge. Keep reading and learn how to remove “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” from your web browser and Windows system.

Threat Summary

Name	You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!
Type	Scam / Browser Redirect
Short Description	A browser redirect to a usually random URL which displays a scam message in new tab. The scam impersonates Microsoft in an attempt to steal your credentials.
Symptoms	A new tab on your browser displays a fake message saying “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!”.
Distribution Method	Via Adware or advertising malware installed on your computer or by being redirected from a suspicious site.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!.

How Does (1) Microsoft Gift Scam Spread

The annoying “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” scam may occur due to a potentially unwanted program installed on your PC. The nasty program may infiltrate your system along with a desired program that you downloaded from the net. It can be added to the installers of various appealing programs available for free on websites, forums, and online stores.

Once installed on the PC, it may corrupt essential browser settings or install a suspicious browser extension. Afterward, the PUP is able to redirect you to “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” scam page during each browsing session. How you can prevent the installation of these offensive programs is by reading carefully the information presented in the setups of freeware you install. Most of times when you open the Advanced or Custom configuration options you are able to deselect undesired components.

In addition, all the annoying redirects to whileyouhavetheprize.stream – a website that currently displays the discussed Microsoft scam, can occur after a visit to another suspicious URL. So be careful which sites you visit.

(1) Microsoft Gift – Activity and Purpose

The message “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” should not be trusted as it is a fake one. Its main purpose is to steal sensitive details from affected users. So if you see it, you should immediately close your web browser and start the removal process.

When you first land on the scam page you see the following pop-up:

Once you click OK you can see the whole scam page and interact with its elements. There is one main message that appears at the top of the page. It reads the following:

Congratulations user, You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!

Every Wednesday we randomly select 10 lucky visitors to receive a promotional gift from our sponsors. This is our way of saying “Thank you” that you are a faithful user.
You will receive a FREE iPhone X, PlayStation 4 or Samsung Galaxy S6 after answering 3 simple questions correctly.
Note: 10 randomly selected lucky visitors have received this invitation and there are only a few prizes.

The scam urges you to participate in a survey of 3 easy questions in order to receive a free iPhone X, PlayStation 4 or Samsung Galaxy S6. Well, too good to be true don’t you think?

In addition, a timer provokes a sense of urgency so you are more likely to act immediately. It counts down the minutes before the so special offer will be sent to another lucky visitor and you will lose the chance to win an appealing gift. However, the suspicious survey remains available even when the time is up.

After you answer the last question, the scamming service obtains your IP address and then displays the next step. As you probably know the IP address is a piece of information that is classified as personally identifiable. Unfortunately, the suspicious program that causes all the redirects to this fake Microsoft gift scam may also be designed to record additional sensitive details about you and your online behavior including:

Visited websites
Location
Browser type and version
Language
Login credentials

So if you are concerned about your online privacy you should remove all files and objects associated with “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” scam from affected browser and PC.

How to Remove “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!”

Follow the removal instructions below in case that you get redirected to “You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!” scam pages during browsing sessions. It is strongly advised to remove the scam immediately from the affected browser and system. Have in mind that since the scam may be pushed by a suspicious software installed on the PC, it is good to run a scan with advanced malware removal tool.

Gergana Ivanova

Highly motivated writer with 5+ years of experience writing for ransomware, malware, adware, PUPs, and other cybersecurity-related issues. As a writer, I strive to create content that is based on thorough technical research. I find joy in the process of creating articles that are easy to understand, informative, and useful. Follow me on Twitter (@IRGergana) for the latest in the field of computer, mobile, and online security.

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Guide 1: How to Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! and related software from Windows

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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! on your computer.

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 You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. 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 You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!, 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today!:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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 You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate You have won (1) Microsoft Gift today! 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.