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Malicious ad appearing on my QRZ.com page

Discussion in 'QRZ Site Community Help Center' started by K8BZ, Feb 8, 2023.

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  1. K8BZ

    K8BZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Please watch for any ad that resembles this:

    bogus ad.jpg

    It just started appearing regularly on several QRZ pages. They are all similar in appearance. One time it will look like an ad to access popular TV sites. Another time it appears to be a link to a quiz to test your IQ.

    After clicking CONTINUE you will end up on a screen that looks like this:

    Final screen.jpg

    Your browser window will be lock and you will not be able to navigate to another site, and you will not be able to close your browser by clicking the 'X' on the browser screen.

    DO NOT CALL THE 855 NUMBER. If you do you will talk to someone who claims to be from Microsoft or Windows Support and ask to remote into your PC to explore the problem. They are not from Windows Support, and this is an attempt to gain access to your PC for completely malicious intent. The blue message that is under the white warning window warns you not to turn off your PC or close your browser or it will damage your PC.

    You can still close your browser by right clicking on your browser icon on the Open Task Bar and selecting the Close option. You will not harm your PC by doing so. You can also just do a hard reset by holding the power button in until your PC turns off. It will not harm your PC by doing so.

    I learned of this scam a few years back from my son who at the time was working IT support for medical practices. This same scam turns up on occasion when you do a Google or other search and it will pop up in the search results as an ad at the top of the search response. Be careful to look at the responses and NOT confuse an ad with the web site you were searching for.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2023
    KO4TXV likes this.
  2. NT0D

    NT0D Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Good catch, and thank you for the warning. To what degree does qrz.com have control over the ads served on the website?
     
    KO4TXV likes this.
  3. KP4SX

    KP4SX Ham Member QRZ Page

    AdBlock works for me.
     
    K4NWD, KN4XJ, K3XR and 5 others like this.
  4. K8BZ

    K8BZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Not sure but I already reported it.

    I tried using an ad blocker in the past, and after time, the ad blockers nag ads became as annoying as the ads they were blocking.

    What ad blocker do you use?
     
    K1LKP likes this.
  5. K8BZ

    K8BZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Just saw another version of the same ad for downloading manuals. All of them had the big green CONTINUE button and a 3 set process to use what they claim to be selling. Don't get sucked in. But if you do, don't call them, but if you do call them, don't let them remote in to your PC.

    Just close your browser or do a hard reset and avoid the ads.
     
  6. KO4TXV

    KO4TXV Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    QRZ needs to be more attentive to whom they allow to advertise on their pages. I have blocked a couple that were clearly "sexual" in content.
     
    KM4FVI, WN1MB and N2OTG like this.
  7. VK5OHR

    VK5OHR Ham Member QRZ Page

  8. K8VHL

    K8VHL Premium Subscriber Volunteer Moderator QRZ Page

    Your browser, not QRZ, is placing the ads.
     
    WD8T, K4NWD, KC1NY and 3 others like this.
  9. W0IS

    W0IS Ham Member QRZ Page

    They can block certain types of ads, and they can also block ads from individual advertisers. This one apparently slipped through the cracks on the first go around, so I'm sure they'll individually block it now that they're aware of it.
     
  10. VK5OHR

    VK5OHR Ham Member QRZ Page

    Adblock Plus, Ghostry, eTrust... will protect most windows based browsers
     
    WN1MB likes this.
  11. W0IS

    W0IS Ham Member QRZ Page

    No, they're Google ads, and QRZ is getting paid for them (not that there's anything wrong with that). But since they're from Google, they can customize them according to your browsing history, and perhaps even what you are thinking.
     
    KM4FVI, WA9SVD and KP4SX like this.
  12. K8VHL

    K8VHL Premium Subscriber Volunteer Moderator QRZ Page

    Typically Chrome browser . . . owned by Google.
     
  13. W0IS

    W0IS Ham Member QRZ Page

    They think I'm a Spanish speaking caffeine fiend:

    upload_2023-2-7_20-44-32.png


    Mmmmm. Cafe.
     
  14. KA0HCP

    KA0HCP XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    And we've all learned to not think about classified documents! :)
     
    WJ4U and W0IS like this.
  15. W0IS

    W0IS Ham Member QRZ Page

    Interestingly, on Microsoft Internet Explorer (or whatever it's called these days), which I rarely fire up, I get the scam ads:

    upload_2023-2-7_20-48-0.png
     

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