How to remove the fake "Walmart Gift Card" survey scam

If you keep getting pop-ups about a fake Walmart Gift Card survey, unfortunately, your device has been infected with a virus. Don’t be tempted to click the link – scammers are just trying to get your personal details and payment information.

This type of malware can affect Windows, Android, and Mac devices, but luckily, it’s fairly simple to remove. You’ll just need to follow a few steps, which we’ll detail in this guide. We’ll also provide some tips to help you avoid more scams in the future.

So keep reading to find out how to remove the fake Walmart Gift Card survey scam from your device.

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What is the Walmart Gift Card pop-up scam?

The Walmart Gift Card scam is a form of malware. When infected, your web browser will display a pop-up that looks like an official Walmart advert. You’ll be encouraged to click a link and complete a survey to receive a free Walmart Gift Card worth anything from $100 to $1,000.

Protect your devices with TotalAV

The survey may ask for your name, address, email, and credit card info. Of course, there is no gift card – it’s a nefarious scam. Fill out the form, and your details will be in the hands of cyber crooks. You’ll likely be signed up for expensive subscriptions and unwanted services.

Here’s what the scam could look like:

If this page ever pops up on your screen, close the page quickly, and don’t click any links or enter any details.

Why am I seeing the Walmart Gift Card pop-ups on my device?

If the Walmart Gift Card scam page is regularly coming up when you’re browsing online, it means your device has a malware infection. The malicious pop-ups can be from your web browser or your push notifications.

Shady websites are often the source of this kind of scam. Click on the wrong site, and you’ll be redirected to the Walmart Gift Card page, and it’s here that the scammers will try to steal your info. Or perhaps you unwittingly downloaded an infected file or opened a rogue attachment. In this case, the malware could be embedded within your device’s system.

Either way, whenever you see the fake Walmart Survey page, the first thing to do is shut down the page. To be safe, you should perform a scan on your device to find and remove the malware.

Don’t worry, it's not as complicated as it sounds. The next section of this guide will show you exactly how to remove Walmart Gift Card malware.

How to get rid of the Walmart Gift Card virus?

Removing a malicious program like a Walmart Gift Card virus can be tackled in several ways. You can use a recommended antivirus software service to eradicate the malware for you, or you can remove it from your device manually. We also recommend resetting your browser settings.

Here’s how to get it all done:

Step 1: Remove the Walmart Gift Card virus manually from your device

The first thing to do is check your applications to see if any rogue programs are running in the background:

For Windows

Looking for, and getting rid of, malware on a Windows desktop PC or laptop is best done with antivirus software, but you can try to do it yourself by using these instructions:

1. Press the “Start” button on the bottom left corner of your screen (it looks like a Windows logo).
2. Launch the “Control Panel” menu.
3. Click on either “Programs” or “Programs and Features” (the title depends on the version of Windows you’re using).
4. Search through the running processes to identify the malware.
5. If the offending program isn’t clear at first, filter by date via the “Installed on” section.
6. Then, uninstall all unrecognized applications that were added recently.

For Mac

If you’re on an Apple Mac computer and you suspect there may be malware on your device, follow these steps to see if you can remove it:

1. Hit the “Finder” option in the bottom row of your screen.
2. A new window will open. Select “Applications” from the list on the left.
3. Go to the “Search” bar section in the new window.
4. Type in “Walmart’ and see if anything comes up.
5. If that doesn’t reveal anything, look out for any other apps that look suspicious.
6. Once you’ve identified a malicious app, drag it into the “Trash”.
7. Hit “Empty Trash” to remove the malware from your Mac.

For Android

Android devices are susceptible to malware infection too. This usually happens if you mistakenly download a malicious app.

If your smartphone or tablet is bombarding you with the Walmart Gift Card pop-up, see if you can remove the virus by using these instructions:

1. Switch off your device.
2. Hold the power button down until the “Reboot into safe mode” message appears, press “OK”.
3. When your device restarts, open “Settings”, then “Apps & notifications”.
4. Open the “See all apps” menu to find the malicious app.
5. Uninstall the offending app.

Step 2: Clear your temporary files

Sneaky malware installers are known to place their files in the temporary folder of PCs, as users may not bother to check there. Check the below method to clear out your "temp" folder on Windows and Mac:

For Windows

1. Press Windows + R together to launch the “RUN” menu.
2. Write %temp% in the window and press "OK"
3. You’ll now see all the temporary files stored on your device. Delete everything in this folder.
4. Open the Recycle Bin and click Empty Recycle Bin.

For Mac

1. Shut down all programs and apps.
2. Open the Finder menu.
3. On your keyboard, press Shift+Cmd+G together to launch the “Go to the folder” window. Enter ~/Library/Caches/ and hit "Go".
4. Drag and drop all unwanted files into the Trash folder. Be sure to leave important files where they are.
5. Empty your Trash bin.

Step 3: Remove the Walmart Gift Card virus from your browser

The Walmart Gift Card virus could be lurking in your browser. You’ll need to reset your settings to get rid of it. Follow our guides to cleaning up Chrome and Safari:

Reset Chrome settings

1. Launch Google Chrome, and find the "Settings" menu by clicking the 3 dots button in the top right corner of the browser window.
2. Select the "Advanced" tab and hit the "Reset Settings" button.
3. Close your Chrome window and restart the browser.

Reset Safari settings

1. Press the “Safari” icon at the top left corner of the browser window.
2. Click on “Preferences” and find “Advanced”.
3. Open the Develop menu.
4. Click on “Empty Caches”, then click “History”, followed by “Clear History”.
5. Return to the "Preferences" menu and open the "Privacy” settings.
6. Select "Manage Website Data" and click "Remove All" to wipe your cookies.
7. Close the Safari window and restart the browser.

Reset Firefox settings

1. Navigate to the top right corner of the browser window and click the three lines.
2. Select “Settings”.
3. Choose “Home”.
4. Check the Restore defaults button.
5. All sorted.

Step: 4 Remove the Walmart Gift Card virus with antivirus software

If you can't remove the malware manually and still see the Walmart Gift Card virus pop-up, the most sure-fire method of cleaning up your system is to deploy an efficient antivirus software to do the job for you. Follow these simple steps to be malware free once and for all:

1. Download a powerful antivirus software. TotalAV is ideal for removing all types of malware.
2. Install the antivirus on your device.
3. Complete a thorough system scan.
4. Follow the antivirus threat removal process.
5. Clear out the virus and enjoy safer browsing

How can I protect my PC against viruses?

If your PC or mobile device is infected with a virus, browser hijacker, adware, or any other malicious program, then there are things you should do to fix the problem (and ensure it doesn’t happen again).

Check out these tips to stay protected against malware:

• Get a reputable antivirus provider. Antivirus software is the ultimate weapon in the fight against malware. With a reputable product like TotalAV on your device, you’ll be protected by constant scans that will identify threats before they have a chance to infect your computer.
• Keep your apps and OS updated. Hackers look for vulnerabilities in operating systems to get malware onto a device. Thankfully, developers are on the lookout too, and they issue patches and fixes whenever they find a fault. That’s why keeping all your apps and OS updated to the latest version is vital.
• Don’t click suspicious links. The Internet is rife with dodgy pop-ups, scammy sites, and deceptive adverts. Never click on links or random ads that claim you’ve won a big prize or look too good to be true.
• Never open untrustworthy emails. Cybercrooks love malicious emails – they're a quick way to infect devices via malware attachments and scam links. If your inbox has messages about prizes and rewards from suspect addresses, do not open or download any attachments.
• Ignore questionable social media posts. Is a friend suddenly tagging you in giveaways or prize posts? Chances are they’ve been hacked. Cybercriminals can take over a social media account and use it to flood news feeds with malware. So think twice before you click on anything you’re not 100% certain is legit on social media.

Conclusion

Constantly getting pop-ups about the Walmart Gift Card survey is not only annoying – it’s potentially a big risk. If you click the link, you could lose a lot of money as scammers steal your details and sign you up for expensive products you didn’t buy yourself.

This scam can target many devices - Windows, Android, Mac – but, luckily, there's an easy way to protect yourself. A powerful antivirus, like TotalAV, can block malicious pop-up ads and totally clean out your system, eradicating all forms of malware in the process.

The antivirus software will also spot other threats before they have a chance to infect your device, giving you ongoing protection in the war against cybercrime.

Have you used our Walmart Gift survey removal guides? Let us know if they worked for you with a message in the comments section below.

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