Anybody heard of a weeklygiftwinner window coming up on Safari startup?

Question

Anybody heard of a weeklygiftwinner window coming up on Safari startup?

When we start up Safari, it is automatically trying to access a website http://weeklygiftwinner.com, and displays a window saying Congratulations! You have just qualified for a chance to win an iPhone 4S. Click OK for details (and an OK box is shown at the bottom of this window). There is no way to get out other than to force-quit Safair.

Does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it. Even if I restart the computer, it just comes up again when I try to start up Safari?

Thanks ... Linda

iMac, iOS 5.0.1

Posted on Jun 18, 2012 4:53 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Jun 18, 2012 5:00 PM in response to lindafromedithvale

You have been to a web site that has been hacked.

Delete all cookies and your Safari cache, then restart Safari.

Reply

Answer 2

Jun 18, 2012 5:14 PM in response to lindafromedithvale

Hi Klaus, thanks for your response. However, I can't see how to delete cookies & Safari cache, because when this window comes up, all Safari options are greyed out and I can't access anything. Any ideas?

Reply

Answer 3

Jun 18, 2012 5:14 PM in response to Klaus1

Hi Klaus, thanks for your response. However, I can't see how to delete cookies & Safari cache, because when this window comes up, all Safari options are greyed out and I can't access anything. Any ideas?

Reply

Answer 4

Jun 18, 2012 5:51 PM in response to Klaus1

Hi Klaus, thanks for your reply. However, I can't see how to delete cookies and cache because when this Congratulations window comes up all Safari options are greyed out and I can't access anything. Any ideas?

Thanks, Linda

Reply

Answer 5

Jun 18, 2012 7:03 PM in response to lindafromedithvale

Linda ...

Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder

Type this exactly as you see it here:

~/Library/Safari

Click Go

Move these files from the Safari folder to the Trash.

Downloads.plist

History.plist

LastSession.plist

Now go to ~/Library/Cookies

Click Go

Move the Cookies.plist file to the Trash

Empty the Trash. Try Safari.

Tip.. helps to tell us which Mac OS X you have installed when you post for help 🙂

Reply

Answer 6

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Jun 18, 2012 7:12 PM in response to lindafromedithvale

Even if I restart the computer, it just comes up again when I try to start up Safari?

Hold down the shift key while opening Safari, to prevent it from trying to load the pages that were open when you forced it to quit.

Reply

Answer 7

Jun 19, 2012 5:53 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Hi Carolyn, thank you for posting your fix - it worked. Just for the record I was unable to find a cookies.plist, but did delete the other ones. When I emptied Trash and then restarted Safari, the same problem recurred. So I did it all again, but after emptying the trash, I shut down the computer, then restarted it and then opened Safari - and it worked perfectly. Thank you again very much for your help.

Reply

Answer 8

Jun 19, 2012 6:00 PM in response to lindafromedithvale

You're welccome 🙂

Reply

Answer 9

whosi

Level 1

0 points

Jul 17, 2012 1:49 AM in response to Carolyn Samit

I have the same problem. "Congratulations! You have just qualified for a chance to win an iPhone 4S. Click OK for details" (and an OK box is shown at the bottom of this window). There is no way to get out!! I have been searching for an answer but the only result I get is this one, which is for apple. Actually I have a pc with windows, not apple mac. Unfortunately I don't have, don't know what, "safari' is. Can anyone point me to a place I could ask for a solution to this problem for a pc with windows. Or can anyone offer a solution. Thanks very much.

Reply