'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' Pop-Ups
The 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' is a pop-up campaign targeting users of the most common Web browsers – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. The goal of the pop-up ads is to intimidate the user into believing that they have become a victim of malware or that there is some other serious technical issue with their operating system or their browser. Often, the pop-ups also will pressure the user further by stating that these supposed issues present need to be settled soon. This is a common social engineering trick, which is designed to manipulate the user into taking actions they normally would not.
More tech-savvy users may spot tactics like this right away, but shady individuals like the ones responsible for the 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' rely on tricking less-experienced users. The 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' ads state that there has been a hacking attempt on the user's system. Then, the 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' will deliver a message saying that the firewall has blocked the supposed attempt and that the cybercriminals were targeting the user's 'personal information & bank information.' Next, the con artists will explain that to prevent further attempts and potential damage the users need to shut down their system and instead call the (888) 563-5234 phone number, which they claim is free of charge. It is likely that this is not the only phone number used by the creators of the 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' tactic.
If the users end up calling the suggested phone number, the con artists responsible for the 'Google Chrome Critical ERROR' will attempt to convince them to buy their dodgy or outright useless 'security' application or subscribe to their tech-support services. It is likely that these offers also are rather pricey.
You should never trust applications or services, which use such dubious marketing methods. Usually, they turn out to either be useless or a tactic. Make sure to always do your research before investing your hard-earned cash into any software or services offered to you online.
