The URL:Scam detection serves as a blanket label employed by Avast/AVG antivirus software to identify network threats. While being a benign detection employed by legitimate security tools, it can falsely detect a safe web page.
Users commonly encounter the “URL:Scam” warning after opening a certain website. It normally refers to a website that security analysts mark as unsafe. This does not mean a direct and immediate threat to the user but rather acts as a warning.
URL:Scam Overview
There are quite a few reasons for the website to lead to the URL:Scam detection. I’ve gathered the most often ones below:
- Malware Distribution. Clicking on links triggering URL:Scam warnings can result in downloading and installing malicious software, such as malware, onto your computer. Malware can lead to substantial harm, including data theft, system instability, and even financial loss.
- Privacy Concerns. URL:Scam warnings are often linked to adware-type applications that collect user browsing data and personal information. This data can be shared with third parties for profit, potentially resulting in privacy breaches, identity theft, and unwanted targeted advertising.
- Invasive Advertisements. Websites flagged with URL:Scam warnings can offer you to display pop-up notifications. This is just an excuse to start spamming the user with dozens of ads. They flood both the in-browser notifications and ones in the Windows system tray.
Typical looks of the URL:Scam notification from Avast
URL:Scam Short Summary
| Detection | URL:Scam |
| Threat Type | Dangerous Website |
| Source | Questionable website opened in the web browser |
| Risks | Phishing scams, fake online shopping offers, cryptocurrency frauds etc. |
| Sidenote | May be a false positive detection due to an issue in the antivirus engine |
Is URL:Scam a False Positive?
As I said, despite originating from benign antivirus engines, URL Scam detection may appear on legit websites. This may happen for several reasons, mainly due to the part of the site’s contents that the engine considered dangerous or a false record in the detection database. Sometimes, antivirus blocks the website because it has the said issues in the past, but does not have ones at the moment.
If you are sure that the website is safe and legitimate, the only way to make it work is to disable the network scanning feature in the program. I do not recommend doing this though when the site is not familiar to you.
To see whether the site is really dangerous or not, you can use a free online URL scanner by GridinSoft. It will reveal whether the site is worth trusting in less than a minute – just paste the link and wait for the result.
How to Remove URL:Scam?
If the URL:Scam message keeps appearing no matter what sites you visit, the issue may be not in the antivirus, but in the software installed in the system. Certain types of malware, particularly adware and browser hijackers, are keen to throw the victim to the malicious websites. If your current antivirus does not report about any malware, consider using GridinSoft Anti-Malware. It will get rid of the pest in just a few clicks.
Remove URL:Scam with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware
We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common online scam pages as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove URL:Scam as well as other malware hiding on your computer.
To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:
1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.
2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file. Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.
3. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.
Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.
4. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.
5. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.
6. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.
Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.
How to Reset Browser Settings?
To reset Microsoft Edge, do the following steps:
Open the "Settings and more" tab in the upper right corner, then find here "Settings" button. In the appeared menu, choose the "Reset settings" option:
After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating the settings which will be reverted to the original:
For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions:
Open the Menu tab (three strips in the upper right corner) and click the "Help" button. In the appeared menu choose "Troubleshooting information":
In the next screen, find the "Refresh Firefox" option:
After choosing this option, you will see the next message:
If you use Google Chrome
Open the Settings tab, and find the "Advanced" button. In the extended tab choose the "Reset and clean up" button:
In the appeared list, click on the "Restore settings to their original defaults":
Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default:
Opera can be reset in the next way
Open the Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click the "Advanced" option, and choose the "Browser" button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there "Restore settings to their original defaults" option:
After clicking the "Restore settings..." button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown:
When the browsers are reset, you need to ensure that your browser will connect the right DNS while connecting to the web page you need. Create a text file titled “hosts” on your PC’s desktop, then open it and fill it with the following lines1:
# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp. # # This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows. # # This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each # entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should # be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name. # The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one # space. # # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual # lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol. # # For example: # # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host # localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself. # 127.0.0.1 localhost # ::1 localhost
Additionally, GridinSoft program offers its own network filter feature that will work as the second opinion element. Together with the On-Run protection, this app will keep your system secured against even the most modern threats.
- Official Microsoft guide for hosts file reset.
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