If you’re constantly seeing the“Congratulations, you won” pop-up ads – chances are, your device has been infected with malware. The good news is, there are things you can do to detect viruses and clean your device from malicious files.
We have put together a guide on how to get rid of “Congratulations, you won” virus on both Android devices and Apple devices, including iPhones and Macs.
Let’s get started!
What Is “Congratulations You Won”?
“Congratulations, you won” pop-up ad is a common Internet scam that affects thousands of people, especially the more inexperienced Internet users. The scammers use fake pop-up ads to deceive users and retrieve their personal information or implant viruses into their devices, which can further lead to data theft.
This type of scam requires entering a competition or completing a quick survey to win exciting rewards. The main goal is to lure people in by promising big prizes like iPhones, Samsung Galaxy devices, or even coupons and then harm them for the sake of profit.
When users complete a survey or a competition, they are redirected to a landing page where they have to fill in personal information.
You are required to write down your name, email address, phone number, and credit card information. This allows scammers to hack into your email and other important accounts or even access your credit card and make transactions and purchases.
Why Am I Seeing the “Congratulations You Won” Pop-Up Ads?
Seeing the “Congratulations, you won” pop-up ads may be the result of being forcefully redirected to a malicious website or having your device already infected by a virus, which consequently opens doors for these types of scams.
Most of these scams are coupled with other free apps that you might have downloaded from unreliable websites. They use WebView to prevent you from seeing the URL and to hide the warnings that appear when you visit a scammy website.
Furthermore, the virus can even be hidden in authorised apps or the free apps used to play or stream music.
Here are some signs that you may have a virus on your device:
- Ads appear in random places;
- The homepage of your browser has changed without your knowledge;
- Web pages are glitching;
- Links constantly redirect you to different websites;
- Pop-ups keep emerging, offering fake software or updates.
Find out more about Computer viruses vs Malware in this article.
How To Get Rid of the “Congratulations You Won” Virus on Android?
In case you find yourself a victim of the “Congratulations, you won” virus, don’t fret. There are a few steps that can help you get rid of the virus:
Step 1: Uninstall the suspicious application that you have recently downloaded – You may not even know that you have downloaded a malicious app, so the first thing to do is find it.
To do this, follow these instructions:
- Go to Settings;
- Find the Apps section;
- Look for an app that you don’t remember downloading;
- Select the app;
- Uninstall it.
Step 2: Force Stop and Clear browsers to remove the virus – These types of viruses can be hidden in your browser as well, so the best thing to do is clear the cache as soon as you notice the pop-ups.
To clear the browser cache follow these simple steps:
- Open Settings;
- Find the Apps section;
- Select the browser;
- Click on the ‘Force Stop’ option;
- Click on the Storage>Clear Cache option;
- Click on the Clear Data option.
Repeat the same process for all your other browsers to make sure you are free of viruses. It should be noted that by doing this, you will clear all saved passwords as well, so make sure you don’t lose anything important prior to clearing the data.
Step 3: Restart your Android device – This will ensure that you have successfully gotten rid of the virus.
If you are using an Android phone this is the article you need!
How To Get Rid of the “Congratulations You Won” Virus on iPhone?
Contracting a browser virus can result in having your web browser’s settings rearranged. They need to be brought back to their default values.
To troubleshoot Safari, follow these instructions:
- Open Settings and click on Safari;
- Choose the Clear History and Website Data option;
- Tap Clear History and Website Data.
After clearing all Safari data, make sure to open the browser and try using it to check if the pop-ups are still occurring. If clearing the data hasn’t fixed the problem, go back to the Safari Settings segment and find the Advanced settings. Now you can switch off the JavaScript entry, which will prevent third parties from taking your data.
If you’re not using Safari on your iPhone, follow these steps to reset Chrome:
- Open the Chrome browser;
- Go to Settings;
- Select Privacy;
- Find Clear Browsing Data option;
- Check Browsing History; Cookies, Site Data; Cached Images and Files;
- Confirm Clear Browsing Data.
“Congratulations, You Won” Pop-Up Virus Manual Removal for Mac
If your Mac device shows signs of malware presence, there are several things you can do to find it and delete it. First things first, you need to locate the corrupted file and terminate it. Follow these steps to Force Quit a malicious file:
- Open the Utilities folder in the Go parcel;
- Double-click on the Activity Monitor icon;
- Select Quit Process on any suspicious-looking item;
- Click on the Force Quit option to confirm the action.
Now that you have stopped the infected apps, all that’s left to do is permanently delete them. To move the infected apps to trash, follow these steps:
- Open the Go parcel;
- Double-click on the Applications icon;
- Right-click on the suspicious-looking item;
- Select Move to Trash.
Finally, to be absolutely sure your device is safe, find the System Preferences option in your Apple Menu. From there, select Accounts and then the Login Items option. This will allow you to disable any app that you don’t remember downloading. If you do all of these steps, you should be clear of any viruses that might have affected your Mac device.
An Automatic Tool to Uninstall the “Congratulations You Won” Virus From Your Mac
If you don’t want to manually search for and remove virus-infected apps, you may want to consider downloading a tool specifically developed for keeping your device clean from viruses. This tool, called Combo Cleaner, is an anti-malware app that can detect and remove the “Congratulations, you won” viruses on Mac devices.
While manual clean-up can be time-consuming, Combo Cleaner performs automatic updates, scanning your device for all hard-to-notice viruses.
The process of cleaning your device from malware using this app is quite simple. First, install Combo Cleaner on your device and open it once the installation is complete. Then, select the Start Combo Scan option to detect any underlying problems your device might have. If the app detects any threats, you will be notified. All you have to do is click on the Remove Selected Items button and the app will delete all malicious files for you.
What Preventive Measures Can You Take to Avoid Scammers?
Falling for these types of scams can result in problems far more harmful than having to deal with annoying ads. That’s why it’s good practice to take some preventative measures first and protect yourself and your online security.
That being said, make sure you keep your apps updated at all times since security patches are installed after every update. This will keep your device protected from any threads you may encounter while browsing the Internet.
Furthermore, if you’re thinking about downloading new apps, make sure you do so from reliable sources, such as the Google Play Store or the App Store. After downloading a new app, take some time to actually read the permissions you will be giving, before allowing the app to access your phone features.
Finally, back up all the important data on your device and download a trusted antivirus software as a protective measure.
Bottom Line
Getting your device infected with malware can put your data security at risk and result in your device malfunctioning. While preventative measures are always the best option against these viruses, avoiding them can sometimes be tricky. Luckily, there are many ways of detecting such malicious files, and we’ve compiled a series of simple instructions for keeping your Android and Apple devices clean.
1. How to get rid of “Congratulations, you won” virus on iPhone and Android devices?
There are several things you can do to detect and remove an existing virus from your iPhone device. They include troubleshooting Safari, disabling JavaScript, and resetting Chrome.
Android device users can take measures that include force-stopping the corrupted file, clearing the browser data and cache, and disabling the virus in the Settings section of your Android device.
2. What do fake virus alerts look like?
They can either look amateurish with lots of flashing colours; or incredibly similar to the authentic Windows warning messages. The best thing to do is to avoid clicking on any pop-ups that you encounter while surfing the web.
3. Can your iPhone get hacked by opening a text message?
If you have received a text message from an unknown source, the best thing you can do is to delete it. The message itself can contain malware that could infect your device and even expose your personal data to scammers.
