One way the Bad Guys try to get your money is by scaring you into paying them! They make it appear “your” antivirus or anti-malware program has detected problems and can’t fix it until you purchase or renew your subscription.

Here are some examples of “alert” messages and windows they use to scare you with. Much of this crime originates in other countries where English is a second language. A legitimate company should have proof readers check for mistakes like this. Even if you know nothing about computers, spelling and grammatical mistakes in warning messages should alert you that something is up.

“Click here for the scan your computer.”

“Do you want block this attack ?”

Question a new icon or an unfamiliar product name. The names will often contain important-sounding bits or combinations of partial names from legitimate companies. Some examples are:

WinAntivirus-Pro 2010

AntiVirus 360

Antivirus 2009

Pest Trap

Usually these programs first appear as a window opened by an infected ad on a website. Don’t click any buttons or links in the window! Close it and run a quick scan with your real antivirus or antimalware program. If you click inside the window, the program will install and become increasingly difficult to remove.

Sometimes the best things in life ARE free, and that includes antivirus and antimalware scanning programs. If you like, I will install these free programs for you and the money you save will more than pay for my visit!

© 2005-2023 Doug Hoss