Fake antivirus popups

💡 Today reminded me why digital safety matters so much. A customer reached out in worry because her screen kept showing warnings that her antivirus was outdated.

🤔 Something felt off to her though, because he had just renewed her license. After a quick check, the cause became clear to me: she had stumbled into fake virus alerts, often called scareware.

⚠️ Here is the brief version of what I explained to her:

After visiting a malicious site, this scareware showed up as alarming popups claiming her device was infected. These popups often use dramatic language, push you to act quickly, and try to trick you into installing fake security tools, clicking harmful links, or contacting scammers who want remote access to your device.

❗ Common warning signs include sudden popups, payment requests, phone numbers to call, strange links, grammar mistakes, simple or odd designs, unknown software names, and alerts that don’t behave like normal system notifications.

When this happens, the safest steps are simple:
✅ Don't click on anything
✅ Clear browser data
✅ Remove suspicious browser extensions or apps
✅ Run a full malware scan with trusted antivirus software

😃 Her relief when everything was back to normal was wonderful to witness. Moments like these show how a little awareness protects not only our devices but also our peace of mind.

PS: If you are experiencing cybersecurity issues or have questions related to cybersecurity, feel free to reach out for a support call.

#cybersecurity #antivirus #digitalProtection