'Warning Virus Detected' Pop-Ups
The 'Warning Virus Detected' pop-ups are nefarious messages that may lock your Web browser, and try to trick you into believing that your computer has been infiltrated by malware. Often, such pop-ups target Windows users exclusively, but the 'Warning Virus Detected' pop-Ups appear to bother Apple users too. Regardless of the operating system you use, you can rest assured that the 'Warning Virus Detected' pop-ups are not something you should trust. Their goal is to get you involved in a scheme that may end up costing you a lot of money.
When the 'Warning Virus Detected' pop-ups appear, they may report that a virus has been found on your computer, and your data may be at risk of being collected by hackers. Conveniently, the pop-ups offer a solution that may vary depending on the fraudsters' plans:
- Users might be told to contact a phone line that will get them in touch with a computer technician. This is usually a fake number that these people operate, and they may ask the victim to pay hundreds of dollars for non-existent services.
- Users may be asked to download a fake piece of software that will lock them out of their computers, and the only way to undo the problem is to pay some money to the con artists.
- The fraudsters may request to receive remote access to the victim's machine, and they may use this to collect data that will be used to blackmail the victim later.
In some cases, tactics like this one also may be used to get users to download a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), which is not a security concern. Regardless of the plans of the people behind the 'Warning Virus Detected' pop-ups, you can rest assured that they have nothing of value to offer. It is recommended to ignore such pop-ups.
