'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' Pop-Ups

The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups may be displayed by insecure Web pages, and are part of known online tactics. The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups may be accompanied by an audio track that may add to the feeling of panic that computer users may get from encountering these messages. The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups are designed to trick computer users into falling for a known tactic entirely, by causing them to panic and make poor decisions.

How the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' Pop-Ups Hoax Works

The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups contain a scary message that is designed to convince computer users to call a 'technical support center.' In fact, this supposed technical support is a tactic, which will try to make money off of inexperienced computer users. The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups will include an audio alert that repeats constantly, disrupting the victim's activity on the affected computer, and may prevent computer users from using their Web browser or computer normally. The 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups contain the following text:

'WARNING!
Your Hard drive will be DELETED if you close
this page. You have Exploit.SWF.bd Virus
infection! Please call Microsoft Support Now!
Call Toll-Free: 1 888-970-1428
To Stop This Process'

Some of the domains that have been known to display the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups include the following:

• pcsuport0810[.]tech
• readygosysformacandpc[.]win
• setupupgradefreshnow[.]download
• win5to[.]com
• windowsuserinfo[.]site

The victim of the attack is asked to call a phone number for 'technical support.' Some of the phone numbers that have been associated with the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups include the following:

• 844-859-0337
• 855-999-9246
• 866-508-2066
• 877-244-0727
• 888-523-8870
• 888-694-0621

The entire purpose of the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups is to make money from inexperienced computer users, forcing them to pay large amounts of money or installing threats on their computers.

How the Fraudsters may Profit by Using the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' Pop-UpsHoax

The main reason for the creation of the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups is to trick computer users, confusing and convincing them that they need to call a phone number displayed in the bogus error messages. Con artists can use the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups to generate revenue in a variety of ways, which include the following:

• After a victim calls the people associated with the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups, they may be asked to install a remote desktop client on their computers, supposedly to allow the 'technicians' to fix the affected computer. Doing this gives these people full access to the affected computer and the victim's data, leading to data theft and the spread of the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups and associated threats to the victim's online contacts.
• The most common way in which fake error messages like the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups are used to make money is by tricking computer users into paying large amount of money for a bogus anti-virus program or the fake technical support service itself.
• Con artists may make additional money from identity theft and credit card tactics associated with these attacks, which may give them access to the victim's data and credit card information

However, there is no truth to the 'Your Hard drive will be DELETED' pop-ups, and (despite the claims in the message) they are not related to Microsoft or Windows in any official or legitimate way. This is a common claim made in these tactics. In reality, legitimate companies will not display error messages in this way or provide their computer support through pop-up messages on the computer user's Web browser.