Searched AJ Cole and got pop-ups? Fix fake NFL stream site spam

You went looking for AJ Cole highlights or a free stream of Sunday's games. You clicked a sketchy link, tapped "Allow" on something, and now your phone or computer keeps showing "virus detected" alerts, prize offers, and adult junk. By the end of this guide you'll have shut that spam off and checked that nothing worse got installed.

The short answer

Those alerts are almost never a real virus. They're website notifications: you tapped "Allow" on a stream site, and it's been sending you ads dressed up as warnings ever since. Go into your browser's notification settings, remove every site you don't recognize, and the spam stops. Don't call any number or tap any "clean now" button in the alerts.

Before you start

Time: 10–15 minutes per device.
What you need: The device that's showing pop-ups, plus your passcode or password.
Don't call phone numbers or install "cleaner" apps from the alerts. Those are scams. See fake virus pop-ups and tech support scams.
Back up first if you end up resetting your browser. Make sure your bookmarks and passwords are synced to your Google, Microsoft, or Apple account.
If you typed a card number or password into one of these sites, use our scam link checklist after you finish here.

Fix it on iPhone

Safari on iPhone rarely sends site notifications unless you added a site to your Home Screen. Most iPhone pop-up problems come from saved website data or a bad configuration profile.

Open Settings → Apps → Safari (on older iOS versions it's Settings → Safari).
Tap Clear History and Website Data, choose All History, and confirm.
In the same screen, make sure Block Pop-ups and Fraudulent Website Warning are turned on.
Go to Settings → Notifications and scroll the list. If you see a web app or site name you don't recognize, tap it and turn off Allow Notifications. Then delete its icon from your Home Screen.
Open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. If you see a profile you didn't install and your employer didn't give you, tap it and choose Remove Profile.

Open Safari and load a normal site. It should load without redirects or new tabs opening on their own.

Fix it on Android (Samsung or Pixel)

Android is where this hits hardest, because Chrome makes it easy to tap "Allow" by accident.

Open Chrome, tap the three dots (top right), then Settings → Site settings → Notifications.
Look under Allowed. Tap any site you don't recognize and set it to Block, or tap Clear & reset.
Go back to Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects and make sure it's set to block.
If you use Samsung Internet, open its menu, tap Settings, and find Notifications under site or permission settings. Remove anything unfamiliar there too.
Open Settings → Apps, and look for anything you installed today that you don't remember choosing. Tap it and Uninstall.
Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Play Protect → Scan.

Pull down your notification shade after a few minutes. The fake alerts should be gone.

Fix it on Windows 11

In Chrome, open the three-dot menu → Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Notifications. Remove every site under "Allowed to send notifications" that you don't know.
In Edge, open the three-dot menu → Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Notifications and do the same.
In either browser, open Extensions from the menu. Remove anything you didn't add on purpose, especially "video downloaders" or "stream helpers."
Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, sort by Install date, and uninstall anything new you don't recognize.
Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection and run a Quick scan. If it finds something, follow its prompts, then run a Full scan.

Windows Security is built into Windows 11 and is plenty for this. You don't need a third-party "cleaner."

Fix it on Mac

In Safari, go to Safari → Settings → Websites → Notifications. Select any unfamiliar site and click Remove.
In that same pane, uncheck Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications if you never use them.
Click the Extensions tab and uninstall anything you don't recognize.
If you use Chrome on your Mac, follow the Chrome steps in the Windows section. They're the same.
Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions. Remove anything unfamiliar that starts when you log in.
Check your Applications folder for apps installed today that you didn't choose, and drag them to the Trash.

Still not working? Try these

Check every browser. If you use both Chrome and Safari, or Chrome and Edge, a site may have permission in the one you didn't clean.
Reset the browser. In Chrome: Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults. This clears permissions and extensions but keeps bookmarks and saved passwords. Edge has the same option under Settings → Reset settings.
Look for a hijacked homepage or search engine. If your searches go through a site you've never heard of, fix it under your browser's Search engine and On startup settings.
Change any password you typed on a stream site. Some fake streams ask you to "log in with Google" or create an account. Change that password everywhere you reused it.
Call your bank if you entered a card for a "free trial." Ask them to block the card and watch for charges.

Keep it from happening again

Watch through official sources. Use the league's app, the network's app, or your TV or streaming provider. Search results and social posts for "free NFL stream" are mostly traps on game day.
Tap Block, never Allow. If a site you just landed on asks to send notifications, the answer is no.
Turn off notification requests entirely on browsers where you don't need them (the Mac setting above, or set Chrome's notifications to "Don't allow sites to send notifications").
Keep your phone and browser updated. Updates patch the holes that sketchy sites try to use.

Quick answers

Did I actually get a virus from a stream site? Usually not. In most cases it's just notification permission you granted. If a scan finds nothing and the spam stops after you remove the site, you're clean.

The pop-up says my phone is infected and gives a number to call. Should I call? No. Real virus warnings from Apple, Google, or Microsoft never ask you to call a phone number. Anyone on that line will try to get remote access or payment.

Why did it start right after I searched a player's name? When a name like AJ Cole is trending, scam sites push fake "highlights" and "live stream" pages to the top of searches and social feeds. They're counting on you clicking fast during the game.

Rather have us fix it?

If the pop-ups won't quit or you're not sure what you clicked, call or text 347-549-9059 and an ITGoNYC tech can connect over secure remote support today. We'll clear the bad permissions, remove anything that got installed, and check your accounts, with a flat quote before any work. Prefer to type it out? Open a ticket and we'll get right back to you.