Malware scam on chess.com
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Someone probably paid good money for that ad. And for chess.com, it’s all about the money (which means more and more ads).
Mar 31, 2026
0
#4
Yes, it's a big scam that could have serious consequences for someone who falls for it. I thought this was a relatively safe web site, maybe I was wrong.
Mar 31, 2026
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#5
Jamie51573 wrote:
a few minutes ago, I clicked on game review and was taken to one of those pop-up ads that say " your computer has been locked up, do not attempt to restart, call the number below to reset ..." I probably just had to close the tab, but I sort of panicked and restarted my computer. This is a scam, if anyone calls the number they will probably be asked for personal information and possibly become the victim of identity theft. Chess.com should remove that ad immediately.
You're premium and should not be seeing ads. There's a chance you have malware on your system so you should scan your device.
I also posted in another topic you replied on, and in the off chance there's a bug in the ad code, could you screenshot any ad and send it to me via DM so I can pass along to staff?
Mar 31, 2026
0
#6
Okay, thank you, and I'll screen shot any such ads in the future and send it along. It seemed to come up directly as a result of me hitting game review after completing a game with a bot, however, maybe something on my computer triggered it. I have been seeing some ads while on chess.com lately. Suddenly a new tab will open with an ad, then I have to click back to the original tab. Again, maybe there's something on my computer that's causing it, I'll look into that. I'm glad to hear that it is not chess.com forcing ads on paying customers. Thanks again for the reply, and I apologize for any accusatory remarks.
Mar 31, 2026
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#7
Yeah. As a premium member myself I can confirm that I have absolutely zero ads, therefore making this scam impossible to have come from chess.com. (Not free advertising btw :)
Same thing happened to me just this morning. Ad popped up during normal pay and had to shut down computer to escape.
2 days ago
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#9
dinoguy_1 wrote:
Same thing happened to me just this morning. Ad popped up during normal pay and had to shut down computer to escape.
That shouldn't be happening. If the ad came from the ad provider the site uses, it should be reported:
https://support.chess.com/en/articles/8647548-how-do-i-report-a-bad-ad
20 hrs ago
0
#10
Usually with that kind of scam/pop up ad, you don't really have to restart your computer. The ad opens a new tab, and in my experience, I just had to close the tab and go back to the original (chess.com) tab. Maybe you had something worse, I'm just telling you about my experience in case it helps. Whatever you do, don't call the number their telling you to call. It's a scam.
a few minutes ago, I clicked on game review and was taken to one of those pop-up ads that say " your computer has been locked up, do not attempt to restart, call the number below to reset ..." I probably just had to close the tab, but I sort of panicked and restarted my computer. This is a scam, if anyone calls the number they will probably be asked for personal information and possibly become the victim of identity theft. Chess.com should remove that ad immediately.