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Fake antivirus and spyware removal programs
There is an increasing problem with fake antivirus and antispyware removal programs around the Internet at the moment. Even if you have an up-to-date security program installed on your computer, these fakes can still get in. They say that your machine is infected, suggest that you scan and the ask for £50 to £60 to remove the problem.
If you pay up, you will have given your credit card details to criminals and will have lost your money straight away. Your computer will still be infected.
These problems were highlighted by the news media on 19th October 2009 although they have been around for quite a long time. I have been dealing with them for over a year. To see the new reports click the links: BBC News Report Sky News Report Reuters News Report
What to do if it happens to you
If you suddenly get a pop up that states that your computer is infected with viruses, Trojans or spyware, possibly giving you a list of all the infections, it is a FAKE.
Do not click on it even on the X in the corner to close it. Doing so will certainly make your computer infected.
To close the pop up press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to start up the computer’s Task Manager. The pop up window should be listed on the Applications tab. Click on it to highlight it and then press the End Task button.
Having closed the pop up window run a full scan with your antivirus and antispyware program to make sure that any possible infections are identified and removed.
One of the most common problems of this type at the moment is “Windows Antivirus Pro 2009” although the name may vary slightly from that. It is nothing to do with Microsoft or Windows. It certainly is not an antivirus program but is the complete opposite, a virus infecting program!
If you have already clicked on the pop up and you get to the stage where it asks for money to remove the infections, DON’T PAY. You will be sending your card details and money to criminals and your computer will remain infected and probably get worse.
If you want to read more about these problems click on any of the links below or do a Google search. Some of the links do advertise removal programs but as I have not tried them I don’t know whether they are safe or if they work.
If you want help removing any infections call me.
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