We occasionally get reports of ads that trigger antivirus warnings or infect computers that are browsing the wiki. This FAQ is an attempt to consolidate all the information about such things into one thread. Please read the below before reporting any incidents.
This thread may also be used to report ads that violate our policies in other ways, such as being too "adult" or NSFW, automatically playing audio/video, etc.
REPORTING: try to get a screenshot of the console as well as this will help identify where it's coming from.
REDIRECTS: Its very tricky to get the first URL of a redirect trigger because they are designed to hide where it came from. So you need a redirect plug-in
active while the redirect happens so you can find the first URL, not the last. Where you were directed to doesn't help track down the source.
- TV Tropes, as a site, does not contain malware. We are a text-and-image wiki; viruses and malware cannot be uploaded to or embedded in the articles. As always, however, beware of any external link that you don't recognize, since we cannot automatically screen edits or posts for malicious links.
- 99.99% of the time, any suspected malware will be related to the wiki advertising.
- TV Tropes does not directly control the ads that are displayed. We use third-party ad providers and we determine things like the size and placement.
- We instruct our providers not to serve ads that redirect your browser, take control of the screen from you, forcibly scroll your screen, play audio without being clicked on, install malware, "pop up" or "pop over" your screen, or in any other way interfere with your browsing experience.
- We have custom software designed to detect ads that do these things and automatically block them.
- Malicious entities are constantly trying to sneak ads through the providers' networks in violation of these instructions. As providers have little incentive to proactively detect and block them, it's up to websites to report these sorts of problems.
- We rely on our users to report ads that get through these measures.
- Just because you see a particular ad doesn't mean everyone else sees it. Ads are customized by the ad providers to your location (by IP address), the content of the page you're viewing, and your browsing profile, which is tracking data accumulated by third parties over the course of all your internet browsing.
- Just because you get a malware warning or infection that seems related to an ad on TV Tropes does not necessarily mean that it is caused by one of our ads. Pre-existing malware on your computer can intercept ads and replace them with malicious ones.
- Ads containing malware, obviously.
- Misbehaving ads, such as ones that load a pop-up or pop-under, redirect your browser to another page, hijack your screen or automatically scroll it.
- "Adult" or NSFW ads. Scantily clad women alone may or may not qualify, depending on context, but we want this site to be work-safe.
- Ads that automatically play audio — that is, the audio starts without you clicking on the ad first. Video ads are acceptable.
- Note: Political content is not grounds for rejecting an ad. However, an ad that contains or implies hate speech, disinformation, or outright falsehoods may be objectionable enough to be blocked.
- First and foremost, maintain current, updated antivirus software, and keep your operating system and browser up to date with all patches offered by the software vendors. This includes Adobe Flash, Java, and other rich media plug-ins. Turn on your software's automatic updates if they are not already on and act immediately when prompted to install them.
- Never click on pop-ups purporting to have detected a virus, offering to "tune up" your PC, or otherwise inducing you to click on a link that you were not expecting. Any genuine message of this nature would come from your antivirus software and not from a web page.
- Be careful clicking on external links. These are identified with a small icon next to them. Example: Google. TV Tropes does not endorse or control the content of external links and you open them at your own risk.
- Never respond to any email or web page that asks for personal or financial information, including passwords, unless you have verified its identity. No reputable company will ever ask you for your password(s), other than to log in.
- You may choose to opt out of having tracking information collected by ad providers. This does not stop malware but helps you maintain your online privacy. See here for additional information.
- TV Tropes requests that you do not use ad blocking software while visiting us, as this site depends on advertising revenue to operate. If you do run an ad blocker, please add tvtropes.org to its exception list, or consider donating to the site to have certain ads removed.
- We (or the ad provider) place a "Report advertisement" link next to most advertising frames. Clicking on this will generate an automatic report and is the best way to do so. If you cannot click on this link or do not see it, continue for more advice.
- Try to identify the source URL of the suspect ad (see below). You can also use the target URL (if you are redirected), but note that this may be intentionally obfuscated by the ad provider to hide the source.
- Identify the ad provider. Some ads have a small area that links to the ad provider's page (like Google or AOL). In other cases, you can tell from the referral URL or you can look it up in a search.
- Go to the ad provider's contact/abuse page and fill out their form. Below are some links to common providers' abuse pages:
- Scan your computer for viruses. If your antivirus software will not operate (many malicious programs attempt to disable your antivirus software), you can download a scanning tool on a known clean system and run it on your infected machine from a read-only CD-R or flash drive.
- If you suspect that you've been tricked into divulging personal information to a phishing attempt or other fraud, change your passwords to affected sites immediately and contact your bank, credit card companies, and the credit bureaus to request a fraud alert.
- Please note that TV Tropes cannot assist you with the specifics of maintaining your computer. That's your responsibility. You may request general help in the appropriate forums, but please don't post new threads in the forums dedicated to wiki operation (Wiki Talk, Frequently Asked Questions, etc.).
- Sometimes, the wiki administration can get better results from the ad providers in dealing with malicious ads. If you can identify a malicious ad by referral URL, you can post the link in this thread, but please omit the "http" component so it doesn't create a hyperlink that someone might click on inadvertently.
- For image ads, right-clicking (or a long tap on mobile devices) should give you the option to view and copy the URL that clicking on it will send you to.
- For Flash, Java, or HTML 5.0 ads, it may be difficult to identify the source or the URL by right-clicking. In these cases, you need to view the page source to identify the ad so we can report it.
- In Internet Explorer, you can right-click in a blank or text area of any web page, and choose View Source from the context menu. Firefox also has this option. In Chrome, you can use the Inspect Element menu option, which interactively highlights the portion of the page whose code you are hovering over. You can use this to identify the ad frame and its source URL.
- For embedded ads, there will be a "frame" element with a "src" parameter. Drill down until you get to the lowest level. All we need to identify the ad is the "src" URL from that frame.
for more information or to discuss the service.
Edited by kory on Nov 15th 2023 at 10:36:27 AM
Lost in Space
We've come too far to give up who we are
http://pixel.everesttech.net/5101/cq?ev_sid=77&ev_ci=1700000434&ev_ai=1700000886&ev_cri=1700010556&ev_ii=WSXADAAAAT2iWZjL&ev_rs=5&ev_dlx=&ev_w=300&ev_h=250&ev_cu=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecobee.com%2Fecobee4%2F%3Futm_source%3Dadobe%26utm_medium%3Ddisplay%26utm_campaign%3Decobee4%26utm_content%3Decobee4
Autoplays sound and video on a loop.
edited 24th May '17 10:22:59 AM by PegaFoxx
We're up all night to get lucky
How sweet it is
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I was on a mobile device at the time, desktop view.
I got redirected to a site claiming I needed to download an update for Google Chrome.
The URL was: https://lengokooperation24.net/2881809631594/f9a33e20694ddaa55f61464702474d82/a4f4e2b858550d4d88eb3831af88a48d.html
Another page claiming I need to update Chrome.
https://uikaimothergooseclub.org/4161809631594/76702cd54eb9bedfa1694699b0848ae1/ced159bf5aa9899abca02d1098696276.html
Same issue as . Desktop PC.
https://ietuoilturista.org/2751242503930/938353fddab73d7bdf1ff8b513943467/35a2695711f6b59873dec6007d4f178f.html
edited 18th Jun '17 5:54:01 PM by Yinyang107
And again. Identical page.
https://ailahmatkapuhelinfoorumi.org/8461242524950/86b35cd31c6abc468cc8422329e187ac/44ea5a297df411dd618d56c85efa75b4.html
How sweet it is
Occasionally an ad for Hawaiian Tropic would appear. While it thankfully doesn't redirect, instead it covers the page I am viewing. Using desktop version on a mobile device.
she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
Another "critical Chrome update" redirect: https://uofaeraphead.net/5061809631594/54132bb5406d18c755078704685ed6b1/9055764708f5fe4f7de660cf937bc491.html.
The Unknown
Keep getting ads on mobile that hijack the page and ask me to rotate my device. They're really annoying and there's no way to report them from what I can tell.
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
I've been getting an ad that hijacks my browser and redirects me offsite. URL it sends me to: http://brickages.com/show.php?c=walmart&p=6a068e3c0938f88e4c58b07b4d8f6a1a&subid=Y12660681971498416017281144&t=1498416017. The ad has no report option and won't let me go back. I have to shut down my browser to get rid of the ad.
Happened today, 6/25, about 2:35 pm EDT. I'm on ipad at the moment
(Edit 6/26: this particular ad is interfering to the point that your site is unusable. A page will load, I'll think I'm safe, then as I scroll down, the ad hits and hijacks me to the above url. A window pops up about "you've won a prize", but its so-called "close" option won't close, it loads the url no matter what you do, and disables the browser's back button. This is not kosher, folks, and I sincerely hope you track down your ad service's reps and beat the everloving crap out if them for pulling that shit. )
edited 26th Jun '17 5:00:52 PM by FranksGirl
On my Android phone and I keep getting pop ups asking for permission to vibrate my phone. I also have dozens of duplicates for each page I visit when I try to hit back. Issues started today.
We've come too far to give up who we are
The little ad banner on the bottom of the screen on mobile is showing some click bait content and has redirected me to those "you've just won and iPhone" websites twice tonight.
We're up all night to get lucky
I'm getting the brickages hijack too. iPad Pro iOS 10.3.2, and I agree, it's making the site almost unusable. :-(
suffering with tvtropes brickages ad redirects
Yeah, the brickages link needs to get nuked asap.
some ads are funny tho
sample signature, isnt it cool?
I am now encountering a new hijacker that redirects me offline. It is extremely similar to the Brickages giveaway, saying the Time Warner customer has won a gift card. First found on Allegedly Free Game on iOS 10 iPhone at 8:15PM EST, this ad redirects to the link below. I cannot report it as it redirects me before I can do anything, and the back button does not really work; I have to close the tab.
https://christopherbrownbooks1.com/lp/?u=4339f78a7cca636b7395fdb708e7326d#Congrats
Edit at 8:30PM EST 7/14: Found another Facebook scam giveaway while on extended markup help to see if I can make URLs plaintext (now I know to use NotAWikiWord for these). Nearly the same drill; back button does not work: http://m.joostore.com/?j=VprXvgQDIPrcaZeX=ltKrZPYdcZoyI0XBUanCgtR7eostX=W-T0P=PqrZliHsbsN2Y8XncZP8IRL2HqvtmaMJ&_utm=azfiz
Edit at 8:35PM EST 7/14: Also caught another redirect while visiting a troper's page, I clicked stop before it could redirect me.
edited 14th Jul '17 5:37:08 PM by BF10
The Unknown
I just got a "rotate your device" ad in the Anime and Manga forum page. On an iPhone 6.
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
Are ads for websites that sell questionable "medicines" or supplements reportable? I keep getting one selling pills that are "better than Adderall!" It is not illegally selling actual prescription drugs, but the site still seems kind of sketchy.
The Unknown
Just got some Macy's popup ad on mobile that sorta-kinda hijacked the page.
Like I could still see the page I was reading, but the ad took over most of it and was transparent in areas to prevent me from clicking anything.
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
So the answer is undoubtedly "yes" for one reason or another, but I'm asking anyway: do we need three box ads on the same page? I wouldn't care ordinarily if it weren't for the one that sometimes loads in between the page description and the example list. It's a hideous eyesore that needs to go.
edited 2nd Aug '17 5:20:59 PM by Midna
A procrastination in of itself
It's either a requirement by the company we get our ads from or a requirement for the practical reason that we need a certain number of views to generate the needed money to pay for site upkeep.
Not sure which.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
It still does not need to be inserted into the body of the page. Put it at the bottom of the screen with the other square ads or don't use it at all.
A procrastination in of itself
I don't have access to our contract with the ad company and I doubt you do either, so let's not speculate on what has to be done, the placement may well be specified in the contract.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
I had an ad redirect me through the following UR Ls (this wasn't immediately upon loading the page but a bit thereafter):
rotator.buzzclicks.com/382521026.js?pubid=32604593&domain=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fposts.php%3Fdiscussion%3D1500804892079376000&t=Aw FZUUR Hcnpre X Ae Fl 1 Q Wl9ue H Vwc RQETV 1 HU 3 N 6 ZREL ads.chacomedia.com/nlp/index.php?pid=1482&kw=buy&sid=4444444&f=click&bu=https%3A%2F%2Fpub.maha-media.com%2Fclick.php%3Fkey%3Dh8qnjbzfxak39p0t37n9%26t1%3D4444444%26t2%3Dbacktrafffromxml&url=https://feed.ribads.com/ hotspeedmovewild.com/index80A.php?eps=ktVqQWS5nTlvVFi6zy0feIDG0wAf0J361wyfJz7X0hyKNKTCB7BHPUdmixKaZYVL7LQyzfQySRtDlqEj0wobGA,,&F=*&G=buy&H=0.03 9tevj.voluumtrk.com/88e4ae19-46b3-4631-94dd-70f9aeb6e1c6?eps=ktVqQWS5nTlvVFi6zy0feIDG0wAf0J361wyfJz7X0hyKNKTCB7BHPUdmixKaZYVL7LQyzfQySRtDlqEj0wobGA,,&F=*&G=buy&H=0.03 9tevj.redirectvoluum.com/redirect?target=BAS E64a H R0c Dov L 3 Nlcn Zlcj Iud Glsd G Zhc 3 Rlcm1h Y2su Y28v P 2 E 9 Q Vomc G Fn Z Xg 9 MT Umcz E9a 3 R Wc VFX Uz Vu V Gx 2 Vk Zp Nnp 5 MG Zl SURHM Hd B Zj BK Mz Yxd3lm Sno 3 WD Boe Ut OS 1 RD Qjd CSFBVZ G1pe Eth Wll WT Dd MU Xl 6 Zl F 5 U 1 J 0 R Gxx R Wowd29i R 0 El Mk Ml Mk Mmb 3 M 9 V2lu Z G93cy Zicm93c 2 Vy PU Nocm9t ZS Zpc 3 A 9 V Glt ZS Uy M Fdhcm5lci Uy ME Nh Ymxl JT Iw SW 50 ZX Ju ZX Ql Mj B Mb G Mma XA 9 Nz Yu OT Eu Mz Au ODY&ts=1502034772274&hash=Zth Pai Irg Rkb Fw Avi J Pfor Q G3v D_ozgj1r_RDf6WFwY&rm=DJ server2.tiltfastermack.co/?a=AZ&pagex=15&s1=ktVqQWS5nTlvVFi6zy0feIDG0wAf0J361wyfJz7X0hyKNKTCB7BHPUdmixKaZYVL7LQyzfQySRtDlqEj0wobGA%2C%2C&os=Windows&browser=Chrome&isp=Time%20Warner%20Cable%20Internet%20Llc&ip=76.91.30.86 tech-an52ne29.stream/guests/?a=AZ&pagex=15&s1=ktVqQWS5nTlvVFi6zy0feIDG0wAf0J361wyfJz7X0hyKNKTCB7BHPUdmixKaZYVL7LQyzfQySRtDlqEj0wobGA%2C%2C&os=Windows&browser=Chrome&isp=Time%20Warner%20Cable%20Internet%20Llc&ip=76.91.30.86
Then a bunch of tech-an52ne29.stream/guests/0 UR Ls appear in my history with the last number adding a digit each time. The final destination page put up some bullshit about viruses while slowing my browser to the point of unusability. I'd managed to escape the clutches of the hotspeedmovewild page once before, which said something about "don't close your browser", but not this time; I think both times it struck while I was on the forums.
Got automatically redirected to here when on the forums:
https://ektatravels.com/lp/?u=8aa61fee9efedfcfc4357bf80b1202b3#Congrats
edited 23rd May '17 6:08:33 AM by Berrenta
she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report