Remove “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail” scam

The “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail” scam refers to a phishing attempt that tries to steal users’ Google account login credentials. Users may get redirected to the site hosting this scam via several different ways, including an adware infection and browsing ad-heavy websites. The site displays a fake Google pop-up claiming that users have received a secure voicemail that contains sensitive information. To listen to the voicemail, they are asked to click on the provided button. Clicking on it will lead users to a phishing site that asks users to sign in to their Google accounts. If users fall for this and enter their login credentials, they will be stolen and sent to the malicious actors operating the phishing campaign.

 

 

You may be redirected to the site when browsing ad-heavy sites or if your computer is infected with an adware infection. The site displaying the scam has nothing else on it, only the pop-up. The pop-up is made to appear like a notification from Google Voice, and it informs you that you have received a new protected voicemail. To listen to the voicemail, you are asked to click the “Listen to voicemail” button, which will lead you to a phishing site. The site is imitating the Gmail login page. If you were to type in your password, it would be sent to the malicious actors operating this phishing campaign. And this would lead to a lot of issues, including potentially losing access to your email account.

The full text in the “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail” scam:

Google Voice

You have a secure voicemail
You’ve received a new protected voicemail. Click below to access your message securely.

Secured with end-to-end encryption

Listen to voicemail

Privacy Notice:This voicemail contains sensitive information. Only authorized recipients should access this message. Your activity may be monitored for security purposes.

There are several reasons why malicious actors are after email login credentials. Users tend to use the same email account for years and rarely delete emails. This means the accounts hold a lot of personal information, which can be used for things like blackmail. What’s more, email addresses are often connected to other accounts. Gaining access to an email account could give malicious actors access to those accounts as well. Malicious actors try all kinds of schemes to steal email login credentials, so you need to be very careful with your credentials.

Why are you redirected to sites that host scams like “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail”

Random redirects to questionable websites typically happen for two primary reasons. Most often, they are triggered by users visiting unreliable websites without having an ad blocker program installed on their devices. Many of these sites, especially those hosting pirated or adult content, tend to bombard visitors with advertisements and frequently initiate redirects no matter what users click on. Using a reliable adblocker can block both ads and redirects, greatly improving the browsing experience.

Adware can also be what triggers redirects. If adware is present on your device, you should also notice an increase in regular ads. Generally, infections like adware are installed through a method called software bundling. This method involves adding said infections as additional offers to free programs. These offers are automatically installed unless manually deselected during the installation process. Unfortunately, the offers are concealed in settings that users rarely check, making them easy to overlook. Because of this, software bundling is considered a deceptive installation method.

To prevent these unwanted installations, users need to use Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default when installing free programs. Advanced settings make all bundled offers visible, allowing users to deselect them. It is strongly advised to deselect all bundled offers, even if they appear useful. It is important to note that legitimate programs do not use software bundling to install. Additionally, programs that do use it are often flagged as potential threats by antivirus software.

Remove “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail” scam

Whether you need to do anything if you’ve encountered this “Google Voice – You have a secure voicemail” scam depends on several things. If you get redirected to it or similar scams regularly, you need to scan your computer with WiperSoft to check for an adware infection. You should also install an adblocker program.

If you’ve interacted with the scam and typed in your email login credentials, you need to change your email password right away to secure your account. If the account can no longer be accessed because the password has been changed by malicious actors, you need to disconnect the email address from all connected accounts to prevent them from being hijacked as well.