# Redirected to 'scam' site just now



## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

I was a 'winner' they told me, but I didn't save it.

On my Android tablet running Oreo.

- KP


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

me too - and someone else noticed too, but it looks like their thread was merged into the closed one.


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## dwatt (Jan 11, 2007)

I have been getting redirected quite a bit lately as well. These at least have let me back out of it and back to TCF but redirects again very quickly.


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## LoREvanescence (Jun 19, 2007)

I find it impossible to view these forums on iOS. Just way to many redirects.

If I got that $500 gift card or what never every time I was redirected I would be a multi millionaire by now.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

This screenshot is from last Thursday (4/12) around 10:40 Pacific time. I had several redirects to a screen nagging me to upgrade Firefox, followed by this dialog box that pops up over the top of it. I was trying to post at the time but gave up. Using the back button to get back to TCF didn't work -- it just redirected me back to where I was.










Mozilla nags me every time I open Firefox that there's an update to download -- by a completely different method -- so it's obvious this is crap, even without the overlay.

This is on my desktop computer (Win 8.1) not my phone. Yes, I'm still on FF 55.0.3. The newer version breaks one of the add-ons I need.


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

murgatroyd said:


> This screenshot is from last Thursday (4/12) around 10:40 Pacific time. I had several redirects to a screen nagging me to upgrade Firefox, followed by this dialog box that pops up over the top of it. I was trying to post at the time but gave up. Using the back button to get back to TCF didn't work -- it just redirected me back to where I was.
> 
> View attachment 33924
> 
> ...


If you can do what David suggests in this post so they can find the bad ad and block it: Bad Ad's Showing Up? Please let us know!


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Thanks, I bookmarked David's post so I can find it next time.


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

murgatroyd said:


> Thanks, I bookmarked David's post so I can find it next time.


It's permanently at the top of the Forum Operation Center section. But we all tend to ignore the threads that are pinned there.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

danm628 said:


> It's permanently at the top of the Forum Operation Center section. But we all tend to ignore the threads that are pinned there.


Agreed. I even downloaded the instructions on getting the log file when that thread was first posted, but in the annoyance over getting redirected while I was in the middle of writing a post, I forgot that I had already done so (and, obviously, where I had put the PDF).


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

A page I was viewing just now rolled me to some odd website just now.

I don't really have any other details to report, but it happened about 2 minutes ago.

-KP


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

Happened again tonight.

While reading a thread, the page suddenly forwards to another site. I captured the address:

Reimage Repair

-KP


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

I ended up getting sent to a spin to win a $1000 Walmart gift card. I luckily was surfing on my iPhone using HttpWatchBasic and sent the HWL file to the address at TCF pages automatically directing me to scam sites, which worked.

I was leary of attaching the file to a public post as I didn't know what sort of PII/sensitive info might be in it. It was a 20 meg file anyway.

The steps for preserving log on a desktop browser a kinda sub-optimal unfortunately as it makes the browser (well, at least Firefox) eventually consume a TON of RAM. And, it doesn't help that I surf to other sites with that option on. I think kinda need to run a separate web browser process where I surf to TCF only with that on.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

cwerdna said:


> I ended up getting sent to a spin to win a $1000 Walmart gift card. I luckily was surfing on my iPhone using HttpWatchBasic and sent the HWL file to the address at TCF pages automatically directing me to scam sites, which worked.
> 
> I was leary of attaching the file to a public post as I didn't know what sort of PII/sensitive info might be in it. It was a 20 meg file anyway.
> 
> The steps for preserving log on a desktop browser a kinda sub-optimal unfortunately as it makes the browser (well, at least Firefox) eventually consume a TON of RAM. And, it doesn't help that I surf to other sites with that option on. I think kinda need to run a separate web browser process where I surf to TCF only with that on.


Did you win the gift card?


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Mikeguy said:


> Did you win the gift card?


No, I didn't bother w/the scam. From the reply I got back from David Bott, my HWL was apparently useful to their their ad quality team.


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## David Bott (Jan 1, 1999)

Yes, thank you for sending it. They were able to trace it and remove the "bad player".


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

do they have a way to successfully guard against the bad players from making it through?


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

NorthAlabama said:


> do they have a way to successfully guard against the bad players from making it through?


In a perfect world the ad companies would vet every ad prior to releasing it. In the real world that doesn't happen.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

I'm getting the Mac Keeper site direct when using Google Chrome.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Here's the link I keep getting. Happens in Safari too as well as in incognito mode.

MacKeeper


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## ufo4sale (Apr 21, 2001)

gossamer88 said:


> Here's the link I keep getting. Happens in Safari too as well as in incognito mode.
> 
> MacKeeper


Happens to me know like clockwork. I'm using safari on a MacBook Air. Is there a fix to this?


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

ufo4sale said:


> Happens to me know like clockwork. I'm using safari on a MacBook Air. Is there a fix to this?


Chrome.

Install unBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Extra.

There was an unofficial port for Safari. Seems to be gone now.


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

Be sure to send the file to David when you see these.


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## ufo4sale (Apr 21, 2001)

danm628 said:


> Chrome.
> 
> Install unBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Extra.
> 
> There was an unofficial port for Safari. Seems to be gone now.


Do I have to use Chrome in order to solve this problem?


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## ufo4sale (Apr 21, 2001)

Mike Lang said:


> Be sure to send the file to David when you see these.


How do I do this?


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

ufo4sale said:


> How do I do this?


Instructions are in this sticky thread: Bad Ad's Showing Up? Please let us know!


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## danm628 (May 14, 2002)

ufo4sale said:


> Do I have to use Chrome in order to solve this problem?


There are adblockers available for Safari. I use 1Blocker X on my iOS devices and there is a macOS port available. It is available in the app store.

Since I have to use both macOS and Windows I settled on Chrome as my cross platform browser for desktop computers.

The real problem is that the ad networks don't check their ads for malware. They just pass the ads on to their customers (e.g. TCF) and then wait for complaints.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Sending David two HAR files. What's the best way? They're 70mb each.


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

[email protected]


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

OK, sending zip file now. Thanks.


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## Phil T (Oct 29, 2003)

You won $1000 Amazon pop ups are appearing all over the site this morning. 
Apple IPhone 8+ using safari.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Phil T said:


> You won $1000 Amazon pop ups are appearing all over the site this morning.
> Apple IPhone 8+ using safari.


Same here, but on a PixelXL running Android 8.1. I had to disable javascript to reach Tivocommunity.

How do you find and copy the files under android?


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## RickStrobel (Jan 19, 2000)

I'm getting similar scam ads on my iPhone today. Begins to make the site unusable.


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## BrettStah (Nov 12, 2000)

I just logged out and browsed here on my iPad, and don't get any pop-ups. I do have a Pi-Hole server here at home, and I have 1Blocker X installed on my iPad, so maybe whatever is causing it is blocked even when I'm not logged in.


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## RickStrobel (Jan 19, 2000)

Again this morning from my iPhone on my home WiFi. Then about 5 more times as I tried to navigate to this thread to post. I'm able to get here and post after disabling WiFi on my phone and using my AT&T LTE connection.

National Consumer Center!


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Setup a Raspberry Pi running Piehole software as your routers DNS server. It blocks those pesky untrustworthy ads. Only costs about $40 plus setup time, runs for months without user intervention.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Was viewing TCF on my iOS device (iPad) and just letting you know that the site was completely hijacked by an ad. At first it was just one of those scams saying you won an Amazon gift card, but then when you click back in the browser it would show porn for some “bennaughty” site. 

Made TCF completely unusable on my iPad. No way to escape it.


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