I lost $200 to a fake antivirus pop up last month

Got a scary looking alert on my laptop saying it was infected. It looked real, had a fake Microsoft logo and everything. Clicked it without thinking, paid for their 'full system scan' with my card. The software did nothing, just stole my money. Took me a week to realize and cancel the card. Anyone know a good way to spot these fake alerts before you panic?

2 comments

2 Comments

rubyw701mo ago

That fake Microsoft logo trick gets so many people. Did the pop-up actually lock your whole browser screen so you couldn't close the tab? I've seen some that make it look like you have to click their button to get out. Always makes me wonder how they even get those things to show up in the first place.

faith_schmidt1mo ago

Microsoft doesn't send pop-up virus alerts. Legit antivirus software might show a notification in your system tray, but a full screen panic message is always a scam. The real software runs scans you start yourself. If you get one of these, just close the browser tab or shut down the program from the task manager. Never call any number they show.