What is 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam?

2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam is a very common scam that claims users have won some kind of prize. This particular scam claims that users have been selected to participate in an annual visitor survey about browser usage, and if they complete the survey, they will get a chance to win some kind of prize. The prizes offered range from vouchers to subscription gift cards. Since this is a scam, users never get those prizes, and if they complete the survey, they will be shown various ads advertising discounts, etc. Some users might be asked to provide their personal information, give away their payment card details or even pay a small fee in order to supposedly get the prizes. 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam

We should note that any kind of pop-up or ad promising you a prize will be a scam. No company (not Facebook, Amazon or Google in particular) would  ever host a giveaway this way. Generally, such scams are show to users by adware. Adware is not a serious infection that users can pick up when installing freeware. Free programs often come together with added offers, such as adware or browser hijackers, and they are allowed to install alongside, unless they are manually deselected. We will explain how users can do that in the following section. However, it’s also possible that users  were redirected to the scam by a dubious site they were visiting. If users were redirected once or twice, and it stopped after they closed the window, they should be fine as long as they stay away from questionable sites or use an adblocker.

If you are dealing with adware, you will need to get rid of it to remove 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam. Otherwise, it will just keep appearing.

How does adware install?

It’s not difficult to say whether the scam is brought about by adware. In addition to the scam pop-ups, users would notice an increase in ads in general. Furthermore, the scam pop-ups would appear over and over again. Adware is commonly bundled with popular freeware, which allows it to install unnoticed to the user. Oftentimes, users do not pay attention to how they install programs, which is why they miss additional offers attached. In order to make the offers visible, users need to opt for Advanced (Custom) settings. Those settings will show a list of what has been added, and users will be able to deselect the offers. It’s always suggested to deselect all the offers because they are likely to be more trouble than they’re worth. After the offers have been deselected, users can continue the freeware installation safely.

What is the point of 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam?

The scam pop-ups will appear and redirects will happen on all popular browsers, whether it’s Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. At the top of the page it would say 2018 Annual Visitor Survey, and below would be a congratulatory message. Supposedly, the user has been chosen to participate in an annual browser opinion survey. If the user participates, he/she will get the opportunity to win a prize. Some scams may offer things like vouchers, while others will promise expensive gadgets, like iPhones and Samsung smartphones. The survey questions that the user is asked to answer will be pretty basic, such as how often the browser is used. There won’t be many questions, and once they’re all answered, the user will see more ads, or be asked to provide his/her personal information. It asks for details like name, phone number, email and home address, etc. Some scams will go as far as to ask for payment card details. Less tech-savvy people may think nothing of the unusual request and give their information. In reality, they would be giving away their information to scammers, who would use personal details to try to scam users further. And if the user has given his/her card information, they can expect that their card will be charged.

As we have said above, ads promising prizes are never legitimate. They are always scams that are after users’ personal information. It’s best to ignore the contents of such an ad. For users who have engaged with these scams and have given their information, they should be on the lookout for further scam attempts. And if they have disclosed their card information, users need to contact their banks as soon as possible to inform them of what has happened.

2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam removal

In order to delete 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam, users may need to use anti-spyware software. It may be difficult to uninstall 2018 Annual Visitor Survey scam adware manually as users would need to find where exactly the infection is located themselves. However, for those who want to stick to manual removal, we will provide instructions below.

Offers

More information about SpyWarrior and Uninstall Instructions. Please review SpyWarrior EULA and Privacy Policy. SpyWarrior scanner is free. If it detects a malware, purchase its full version to remove it.

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