Spammy Amazon Pop-ups Started Happening

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   Glenn Stokposted 6 years ago

   For the past week I've been getting Pop-ups on various hubs (mine and others) saying I've been selected to get a $1000 Amazon Gift Card.
   
   One of my readers posted a comment complaining about this, so I know it's not just me. I'm sending screen images to the team.
   
   Has anyone else been getting these pop-ups?
   
   EDIT: If you're using a pop-up blocker you would not be aware of this, but it may be turning our readers away.

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      lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I got pop up blockers. Thankfully

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         That's good Brandon, but our readers who don't use pop-up blockers will eventually shy away from HP if this isn't fixed.
         
         I just got a comment from one of my readers complaining that he tried three times to leave a comment in my hub. Each time the pop-up happens, it stops you from doing what you're doing. And you can't click back either.

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            lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yup, I agree.

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      Mike Hardyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      If that is happening then I'm out of here. They kill a main site. Hubpages better place a POV on this immediately as it could kIll us all.

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      Christy Kirwanposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Glenn, it sounds like these ads might be breaking the rules. If you get a chance, could you follow the steps detailed here and start a new thread reporting it?

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I do that Christy.

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Christy, I just read the requirements for submitting the report in that link you gave me.  One of the items required is the hub that contained the ad. The problem is that these ads force a new page with the pop up and disabled the back function. So I can't click back the the hub I was reading. In addition, I had this happen all over the place on various hubs. The screen images I took do not show the URL of the hub because the Rogue Ad replaced that with the URL of the pop up. I guess thats how it bypassed my setting that disabled pop-ups.

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Christy, I did my best, and posted it in a new thread as you requested:
         
         https://hubpages.com/community/forum/33 … ng-pop-ups

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            Mike Hardyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Glenn...I went to this post and tried the first URL listed. I got the Amazon pop up. So there is something embedded that’s a nasty bit.

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               Mike Hardyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               I tried again with Chrome and the pop up Did Not occur. So the issue is with safari.

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                  lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  Tried this on the tomato hub, and couldn't replicate it in incognito mode of chorme (ads are not blocked) and also couldn't get the ad on my android phone. At least it's not always an issue. Good to know.

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                     Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     It happens randomly, it hits me after I’m reading a hub for several minutes. Once it even happened while I was typing a comment in someone's hub. Of course, I lost what I was doing.

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                        lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        I see. I don't like this one, it's worse than just being a pop-up.

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                           Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                           I believe it’s not really a pop up. It’s just made to look like one. That’s how it gets passed the popup blocker. A true popup leaves you on page. This thing puts me in another URL, and disables the back function so I can’t go back and analyse the ads, something that Matt wants me to do so they have something to trace. This thing is untraceable. HP may have trouble finding it for that reason.

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                              lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                              Yup, I lost the article I was reading thanks to it too. That's a problem.

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   Glenn Stokposted 6 years ago

   This just happened again today, Sunday March 25th. It's really a nuisance because it blocks one from being able to continue with the page they’re reading.

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   Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years ago

   I don't have adblockers, but I haven't been seeing any pop-ups on HubPages or any of the niche sites. Do you think the pop-ups are related to the browser you're using? (I use IE and Chrome.)

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      Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      It’s possible. I’m using Safari. And now that you mention it, I’m only getting these pop-ups when in  HubPages on my iPad. Never happened on my desktop.

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   Wesman Todd Shawposted 6 years ago

   When I promoted my latest article in some groups on Facebook, I got screenshot comments about that pop up ad. I used to see pop up ads here years ago, and I assumed these were caused by some sort of adware I'd inadvertently downloaded, and not by Hubpages.  Are such things literally allowed by staff? I'm not so sure.

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   whereyouwatchposted 6 years ago

   I am getting the exact same thing, without embedding anything other than Youtube.

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      Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Its happening to me when reading hubs that don’t even have YouTube, so it’s not based on that. All I could tell so far is that it happens on several different HP niche sites, but never on other sites that are not related to HubPages.

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   lobobrandonposted 6 years ago

   Glenn, last night I was browsing the news on my Android phone, and I got this pop up that you are talking about, not on HP. Only including it here as you say, so far, you've only seen it on HP. The pop up says something on the lines of Congrats you have been chosen or Congrats you have won... And it had Amazon branding on it.

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      Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That’s the first I heard of anyone getting this on a non HP site. Do you have a popup blocker enabled? I do. This hacker (I call it that) found a way to bypass popup blockers.

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         lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         On my phone nope. But on my laptop I do, and I have no issues he has no surpassed all pop-up blockers hehe.

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            Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Does the Android have a popup blocker?  I’m curious to know if it works. The iPad has one, and I have it enabled. But this hogue ad hacker gets right through it. And worse, it disables the ability to go back to examine the ads on the hub I was on, which is what HP really needs in order to trace this.

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               lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               For sure they do, but I do not have one. I do no usually browse from my phone.

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                  Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  Too bad, Apple has a popup blocker built into the iOS and I always leave it turned on. But this rogue ad gets passed it anyway.

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   lobobrandonposted 6 years ago

   There are a few posts online when I did a quick search, this is the most recent one from sometime in 2018 https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-co … ser-virus/ seems like it's an adware. Would be helpful if other users commented here.

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      Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That looks like a useful link to solve your immediate problem Glen. But you should install some virus/ malware blockers to prevent it happening again. I use Malwarebytes (anti-malware), Avira antivirus, and CCleaner. They seem to do the trick and they are all free to download.

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      Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That article is useful for Microsoft PCs. As for Apple, the iPad is well protected anyway.  Viruses are impossible to move from one app to another. Malware can be installed only if one allows apps installed other than going through the App Store. I always install only from the App Store.
      
      Connecting to the PC can allow malware to copy from the PC. But I don’t ever hard connect my iPad to the Mac.  Besides, I run Malwarebytes and Avast on my Mac.

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         lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         You can get malware through websites too.

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            Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yes I know, but not on the iPad. It would ask for permission.

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               lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Ok, didn't know that. I was hoping it's a malware as then the problem is solved

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                  Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  I wouldn't totally rule it out because maybe somebody found a way to make malware get into an iPad despite the protection that Apple has. However, that wouldn’t explain why it’s only happening on HubPages.
                  
                  I am surprised that only one or two other people said they have the same problem.

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