Ads by Tom Removal Guide

Do you know what Ads by Tom are?

Ads by Tom may refer to a particular adware application that functions as a browser add-on. This program will bombard you with annoying pop-ups that will look like attractive offers from commercial websites. The most important thing in this situation is to remove Ads by Tom and everything else associated with this application from your computer. Adware programs are not direct computer security threats, but they could be easily exploited by malevolent third parties. Therefore, you should do everything you can to protect your system from potential exploitation by terminating all the unwanted programs at once.

It is very likely that there are no direct distribution sources out there for these commercial ads. However, rather than attacking users via associated websites, the adware program that generates the ads definitely gets installed on the target computer first. This means that the program probably enters your computer bundled with freeware apps. Freeware apps are various programs that are available for free at a number of file-sharing websites. The main problem is that users often do not realize the danger behind downloading apps from such sites. Although it is true that such sites do not intend to infect you with malware, they do not check the legitimacy of the files they host, too.

Therefore, there are a lot of third-party installers that can be downloaded from such websites, and these installers often bundle several programs in one package. To put it simply, you might think you are about to download one particular application, but in reality, you download and install several programs, most of which are unwanted and potentially harmful. The program responsible for Ads by Tom might as well be one of those unwanted apps you have installed accidentally. Even if you did not notice how the adware program entered your computer, you were still the one to install it.

So how do you avoid such annoying intruders? First, you should refrain from downloading programs from unfamiliar sources. If you can choose between a file-sharing website and an official vendor’s page, always go with the official page. What’s more, if you are about to run the installation wizard disregarding the shady source, you should check out all the steps carefully because installation wizards tend to inform users about the additional programs or features that are about to be added to your system. If you fail to use this chance, then the likes of Ads by Tom do get added to your browser.

There can be many more versions of these ads around. According to our researchers, you may also encounter “by Tom Ads,” “Tom Ads,” “Ad by Tom,” “Powered by Tom,” “Brought by Tom,” and “Brought to you by Tom” advertisements. Of course, the source and purpose of these ads are the same. The people behind adware programs intend to make a financial profit by displaying third-party advertisements. Of course, they do not get paid for the advertising space directly, but whenever users click Ads by Tom or any other commercial ad, these people receive revenue via the pay-per-click system. Hence, they are hankering for your clicks.

For that reason, adware programs may try to generate custom content that would be related to your likes and preferences. This would lead to higher chances of your clicking the ads. However, that custom content can only be generated if the adware program indulges in online monitoring. In other words, you would collect information on your web browsing habits, to figure out what you like and what websites you visit. Although quite a few programs do that, you have to consider potential security issues that may arise from such behavior. It goes without saying that you need to protect your privacy, and so the best way to do that is to remove Ads by Tom at once.

You should restore your browser settings to default to get rid of this add-on. If you think that there might be more unwanted applications on your computer, you can always run a full system scan with the SpyHunter free scanner to determine which programs must be removed for good. When you get rid of the undesirable applications, please be sure to protect your system from similar intruders in the future.

How to Remove Ads by Tom

Internet Explorer

  1. Press Alt+T and go to Internet options.
  2. Select the Advanced tab and click Reset.
  3. Mark Delete personal settings and press Reset.
  4. Click Close.

Chrome

  1. Press Alt+F and go to Settings.
  2. Click Show advanced settings at the bottom of the page.
  3. Scroll down and click Reset Settings.
  4. Press Reset.

Firefox

  1. Press Alt+H and click Troubleshooting information.
  2. Click Refresh Firefox at the top right of the new tab.
  3. Press Refresh Firefox on the confirmation box and click Finish.

In non-techie terms:

Ads by Tom will interfere with your web browsing activities by displaying various commercial offers. Most of those offers will come from unreliable sources. It is your job to get rid of this adware program because this nuisance turns into something very bad. If you think that you cannot do this on your own, please do not hesitate to invest in a legitimate computer security tool, that will help you get rid of the potential threats automatically.