Website hack: The billionth Google search - giveaway redirect
A popular target of current spam campaigns is a supposed Google giveaway. Accompanied by a shower of confetti, a message appears saying 'You have completed the billionth Google search.' Of course, there is nothing to win here and it is a fake. The page exists solely to collect personal data, which is then sold.
The cause of the giveaway redirect is often a hacked (WordPress) website. Triggered by script viruses, you end up on the data collectors' pages after a nearly 5-second redirect loop.
Note: We are a web service provider and can help you with all WordPress problems - but not if you have participated in such a fake giveaway. Please request immediate cancellation and deletion of your personal data if you should subsequently receive (e-)mail or similar from a provider. Unfortunately, there is nothing to win.
We offer you website security services, website consulting, WordPress Maintenance and Joomla Services.
Please feel free to contact us if your own website or that of a friend is affected by a spam redirect.
Update from February 2021:
Unwanted WordPress advertising - 'Amazon loyalty program / customer survey'
For a few weeks now, another variant of the unwanted WordPress advertising has been active - users are being redirected to a fake Amazon giveaway. The supposed Amazon loyalty program is fake.
Do not take part in any customer survey or giveaway. This is a subscription trap.
If you have already done so, please request immediate cancellation and deletion of your personal data from the respective provider. Do not worry about any payment obligations that are allegedly arising from this. That is not the case with this scam.
Remove WordPress redirect to Amazon giveaway
Finding the source of the Amazon redirect and removing it permanently can sometimes be difficult. Redirects can be triggered in several places.
An overview of the possible manipulations can be found here. In addition, you should make sure to remove all backdoors left behind by the hack.
Click 'Allow' if you are not a robot (I am not a robot)
The redirect loop ending with the giveaway (consisting of several 'I am not a robot' messages) is a sure sign that the website you actually want to visit has been hacked.
If you are the site owner yourself, you should act immediately so as not to put off potential visitors.
A general guide to removing a WordPress virus:
https://website-bereinigung.de/wordpress-hacked
Sometimes the site owners do not yet know about the infection, and contact should be made through another channel to point out the issue.
Under no circumstances should you click 'Allow' - you are not a robot - and do not enter any personal data for the fake search competition.
Where is the script virus hiding and how can it be removed?
Das ist von Fall zu Fall sehr unterschiedlich. Mit etwas Glück ist es nur aus der Datenbank zu entfernen. Alle WordPress Seiten/Beiträge enthalten dann in der wp_posts Tabelle eine
You can find a more detailed article on the topic here.
It includes, among other things, a useful SQL command for removing script injections from the database.
/!\ Warning: After removing the symptoms, the point of entry must also be analyzed and fixed. Otherwise, 'You have performed the billionth search' could quickly creep back in. In the event of a hack, backdoors are usually scattered across the web space. If the cleanup is not carried out comprehensively, reinfection is very likely.
Would you like us to solve the problem quickly and reliably for you? Send a Request a Quote!
We specialize in restoring and securing hacked websites. In addition to the cleanup, we take care of all updates and implement a number of security measures so that your website is as well protected as possible against hacker attacks.
P.S.: According to a Google presentation (end of 2019), around 3.5 billion searches are made every day.
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- Last Updated: 11 February 2021
