How to Stop Pop-Up Ads on All Browsers

Having trouble with those pesky pop-up advertisements? There is definitely a solution. These types of advertisements can be potentially dangerous when you are trying to surf the web on your computer. Scammers create certain pop-up ads to distribute malware to devices, and also to scam innocent people out of money. By clicking on a pop-up ad, you might just fall for a scam and lose out on thousands of dollars. That’s why it’s important to know how to stop pop-up ads on all browsers.

How Do Scammers Use Pop-Up Ads to Trick Their Victims?

Pop-up advertisements are advertisements that pop up randomly as you are browsing the world wide web. They are known to advertise a plethora of things such as specific websites, the latest deals, the top games, and more.

However, scammers can easily mimic a pop-up ad that supposedly advertises a store and use it to redirect customers to fake websites. These scam websites can install malware on victims’ computers without them even knowing about it.

Then, they can create fake forms that instruct victims to fill out their personal and financial information. Scammers then steal this information to commit identity theft and steal money out of their bank accounts. 

Scammers can also create fake tech support ads, claiming that their computer is broken. They claim that the customer needs to get rid of a virus detected on their computer and to call the listed number on the ad.

The scammer claims they can help the customer fix their computer and requests remote access to the victim’s device. Then, the scammer downloads malware on the victim’s device to steal their personal information.

They also ask the victim for money for fixing the computer, so the victim provides them with their financial information. The scammer then commits identity theft and steals the victim’s money using the information.

How to Stop Pop-Up Ads on All Browsers

Desktop Version of Chrome

1. Open up your Chrome browser.
2. Click the three dots in the upper right corner and click settings.
3. Scroll down to “Privacy and Security”.
4. Click on “Site Settings” then click on “Pop-Ups and Redirects”.
5. From there, you can change it to have pop-up ads “Blocked” or “Allowed”.

Safari

1. Open up your Safari browser.
2. Select Safari from the menu options in the upper-left corner.
3. Click “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
4. Go to your “Websites” section in the settings menu.
5. Scroll down to “Pop-Up Windows”.
6. From there, you can choose whether Safari can “Block and Notify,” “Block,” or “Allow” pop-up advertisements.

Desktop Version of Firefox

1. Open up your Firefox browser.
2. Click on the menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Click on “Options”.
4. Go to your “Privacy and Security” section within the options listed.
5. Under the permissions tab, you can then choose whether to block or allow pop-up ads.

Edge

1. Open up your Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Go to your “Settings” tab
3. Select More – Settings – Privacy and Security
4. Under security, you can switch the pop-up blocker to block the ads or to allow them.

iPhone/iOS – Safari

1. Go to your “Settings” app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down to “Safari” and tap it.
3. Scroll down to “Block Pop-Ups” and switch it on to block them or off to stop blocking them.

iPhone/iOS – Chrome

1. Open up the Chrome app on your iPhone.
2. Tap “More” then tap on “Settings.”
3. Tap on “Content Settings,” then tap “Block Pop-Ups”
4. From there, you can choose whether or not you want to block pop-up ads.

Android – Chrome

1. Open up the Chrome app.
2. Tap “More” then tap on “Settings.”
3. Tap on “Site Settings,” then tap “Pop-Ups and Redirects”
4. From there, you can choose whether or not you want to block pop-up ads.

Android – Samsung Internet

1. Open the Samsung Internet App.
2. Tap the Menu icon, which looks like three vertical lines.
3. Select the “Settings” option.
4. Go to the “Advanced” menu
5. Tap on “Sites and Downloads”
6. From there, you can choose whether to turn your pop-up blocker on or off.

How to Avoid Pop-Up Ad Scams

1. Don’t click on any pop-up ads. Instead, type in the website it is advertising in your browser.
2. Don’t call any customer service numbers displayed on a pop-up ad.
3. Don’t let anyone have access to your computer under any circumstance.
4. Don’t give anyone money, personal information, or financial information of any sort.

Social Catfish is Here to Help You!

At Social Catfish, we want to help you verify the identities of those who might seem suspicious to you. If you have their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image, you can reverse search and see who the suspected person was that you’ve been in contact with while figuring out how to stop pop-up ads on all browsers. If you were involved in a scam, make sure to report it to the FTC as well.