The last thing you want to see on your computer is a message saying you have a virus. But is your computer actually infected? It’s possible that rather than your computer having a virus, you came across a website trying to scare you into calling so they can scam you with tech support services.
How To Recognize
- It asks you to call their number for help (real antivirus software doesn’t ask you to call anyone)
- It most likely will not let you close the window
- The message is displayed in your web browser or a pop-up window from your web browser
- You hear a loud “You’ve got a virus” message that tells you to call their number for help
What To Do
- Close the window. If it doesn’t allow you to, try any of the following:
- Restart your computer
- Press Ctrl, Shift, Escape on your keyboard, select your web browser (Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome, Firefox) from the list and click “End Task,” do this for all of the web browser entries until the message disappears
To be extra safe, it’s a good idea to run an actual scan with an anti-virus/anti-malware scanner, like MalwareBytes, after a message like this appears.