Pop up ads are a popular form of online advertising. The advertisers behind this pop ups use them to get attention from people and then redirect them to other websites. Most pop-up ads are usually just trying to sell some product or get your email address for newsletters.
Pop-up ads are annoying and worse, potentially dangerous. Sometimes, pop-up ads are as a result of malicious activities by hackers and cyber attackers.
Why are ads popping up on your device? – Causes of pop-up ads
Legitimate advertisements
While no longer as popular, internet advertisement is a way for third party companies and organizations to showcase and advertise their products on website. While they might be harmless, pop-up adds can really be annoying. To get rid of them, you simply have to lick on the x symbol normally on the right or left top corner of the ad and it will go away.
Tech support scams
Tech support scammers use pop-up ads to scare unsuspecting victims into calling them. For example, you may get a pop-up add telling you that your device has a virus and that you should call them immediately to protect your personal data.
Pop-up ads, especially ones trying to warn about viruses or an issue with the device have a high chance of being a scam. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell a scam since the cybercriminal use logos from well known companies. They ask you to contact them and once you do, they will ask for remote access to your computer. Once inside the computer, they can steal your passwords, financial information and personal identity.
Adware
Adware is malicious software that is designed to display pop-up ads to the user when they are online or even when they are not browsing the internet. Once it is in your device, adware will keep showing endless pop-ups especially when you are browsing add-friendly websites.
Ransomware
This is a type of malicious software used by hackers to take over your computer. Cybercriminals use ransomware to block you from accessing your files completely until you pay some amount in ransom.
How is ransomware related to pop-up ads? Some cybercriminals employ website that display pop up ads which look like they may come from government agencies like FBI accusing you of online activities that violate the law. In this case, you should never pay the ransom because it’s not guaranteed that they will unblock your files.
How to remove pop-up ads on your device
Remove bad programs and delete odd applications on your device. Once you download and run a program then start getting pop up ads immediately, you should uninstall it immediately.
Download and run a malware scanner
You can download free malware scanners to remove any programs that might be linked to the pop-up ads. Once downloaded and installed into your program, it will automatically detect and remove the malware from your device.
Here is how you can prevent pop-up ads
Avoid clicking unknown links
Before you click on any links, make sure you check out their URL for the s in ‘https’ which is an indication of encrypted site. Avoid clicking any suspicious links you get in your emails. While you email may filter out spam messages, it will not work for every single spammy mail. Make sure you examine the link before clicking it to prevent malware download.
Malicious pop-up ads are very popular in illegitimate streaming sites. Which is why you should stick to legitimate sites like thepirateproxybay if you are looking to stream movies and TV shows online.
Do not contact and phone number from the internet. No internet security provider would ask anyone to contact them through a pop-up ad.
Be careful when downloading apps on your device
Before you download or install any applications on your device, make sure to double check the installation options. Check the advanced or custom options for installation to see if there is extra software attached to the program. Don’t install programs attached to the application especially if you do not need them.
Enable pop-up block on your browser
Enabling pop ad blockers on your browser will automatically block any pop-ups showing on your screen. If you still get the up-ups even after enabling the ad blockers, you should check the subscriptions on your browser and turn off notifications from that site.
