"Scareware" pop-ups prompt lawsuit

Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:08PM EDT

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WARNING: YOUR COMPUTER IS VULNERABLE! CLICK HERE TO PROTECT YOURSELF!

Ever seen a message like that? It probably looked just like any other pop-up your PC gives you when something isn't working right. But, as many have found out the hard way, such pop-ups are nothing but scams, designed to scare you into clicking on them and then tricking you into paying for the software to "fix" the "problems" it discovers.

In reality, when you click on these pop-ups, you're downloading malware that will be installed on your PC. The program then proceeds to pretend to scan your computer, subsequently alerting you to dozens or hundreds of problems it's found on your machine. The catch: If you want to fix those problems, you'll have to pay for the full version of the software. And if you do pay, all those problems will miraculously disappear! Gotcha!

The specific lawsuit in this case has been filed by Microsoft and Washington state against a number of companies (some of whom are still not even identified), but which include a Texas firm that sells a $40 application called Registry Cleaner XP. Microsoft continues to hammer out lawsuits against copycat companies, as allowed by the 2005 Computer Spyware Act, but tracking down defendants is difficult.

What should you do if you encounter a pop-up telling you about a security problem? Contrary to conventional wisdom, don't click on any close window buttons you see in the window. There's a good possibility that clicking that red X will actually start the software download. The way to reliably get rid of these pop-ups without risking clicking on them is to right-click on the appropriate item in the taskbar, then click Close. If that doesn't work, exit your web browser entirely through the File menu.

Another form of this pop-up ad attack uses Microsoft's Windows Messenger service to send ad messages, but this service was disabled beginning with Windows XP Service Pack 2. If for some reason you haven't upgraded, do so immediately. If you can't, disable the service manually by following these instructions.

Comments on "Scareware" pop-ups prompt lawsuit

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  • 6 Posted by davidrmolina1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I picked up XPAntivirus and I can't get rid of it. The popup keeps coming up. I never asked for it, the crazy thing installed into computer. My virus program picks it up and blocks it but the prgrm keeps poping back up. Since I don't too much about computers, I may need to buy a program to get rid of the XPAntivirus. Sometimes I wonder if both are working together to make a buck off people like me. Microsoft should help out and give users a program to get rid of this popup.

  • 7 Posted by hines232 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    Same type that has crippled the economy (actually a DEPRESSION), Greed and trickry !!!!!! There should be jail time and a heavy fine.

  • 8 Posted by southerndamnyankee on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    Lawsuits, won't fix it. We need some vigilante's to walk in their office and start shooting. Maybe people will get the message, and won't work for them either.

  • 9 Posted by mikalucho on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    superantispyware and cyberdefender are in that same league. they tell you whats wrong but you have to buy to fix and when you TRY to uninstall... good luck with that! They start up with boot up and then a window pops up to stop you from removing their crappy software. I found out the hard way on both. About time somebody's getting their butts kicked for crapware. Downloaders Beware!!!

  • 10 Posted by ketsueki_kiame@ymail.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ooohh!!! So that's what that was. Thanks for this article. I've always wondered how I got that annoying pretend virus scan on my computer. Fortunately, I was able to get it off.

  • 11 Posted by lightanubis on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have Windows Vista and got nailed big time. I was new to it at the time when it happend.

  • 12 Posted by bhappy2da on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I too had something down load on my computer. Does anyone know how to totally delete? I thought I deleted but it still continues to Pop-up. I have put Pop-ups & cookies on MEDIUM-HIGH in the security area.

  • 13 Posted by rodwrnr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    anti spyware, spybot, are 2 others that dont work !

  • 14 Posted by pgonz62@ymail.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    The one that is driving me nutts is,MicroAntivirus2009. It's already on my computer, is there anyway I can get rid of it? I let a friend use my computer, that crap popped up she thought it was what I use, guess what she did?

  • 15 Posted by mia2kl2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    If this is a class action suit, I want in on it. I had to pay $150 to get my laptop fixed because of them. I didn't even click on it, I knew it had to be a scam, but it took over my computer before I could close everything out.

  • 16 Posted by bearded.dragons@rocketmail.com on Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    I sick an tired of all these scams and the spam emails I always get. Why is it legit for someone to sell my info to all these companies. I should be alloud to sue for purchase or sale of my info. Its not right. If I were to spam mail people and scam them you can bet "I" would be arrested. but when "I" report such a crime the fbi tells me they dont waste there time on enternet scams. Thats cool, wasted tax dollers again right, another scam.

  • 17 Posted by nathantheguitarist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    this is a good article. more people need to know about this, and maybe one day put it to an end!

  • 18 Posted by hygh2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    For Computer/Internet Savy people this is a minor victory(we already know this is a bull----- scam) but for people not as adept with Computers/Internet(my parents, my girlfriend, her parents, Grand parents, etc.) these scams might actually work, so this lawsuit is a major victory. So the moral of the story is: If you get a pop up from a website claiming your computer has AIDS, and they determine this in the quickest scan time to ever exist, they are lying no ifs, ands, or buts. But if you have concerns about computer safety, first tell somebody you trust(perhaps teenage child or grandchild or computer savy boyfriend or girlfriend) they will tell you how to go about getting the proper virus protection to protect against Viruses and what not.

  • 19 Posted by megansquier on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a Linux user, no problems here with viruses! The people who build viruses, malware, etc, don't even bother to configure their programs for Linux because the chance of it hitting a vulnerable Linux machine is pretty small. They'd probably have more luck winning the lottery than hitting one of us. Our anti-virus is built into the OS itself anyway.

  • 20 Posted by sweetasshoney24151 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    THIS HAPPENED TO US ALSO.... WE BOUGHT A 25.00 VISA CARD AND PAID FOR IT THAT WAY, BUT WE FOUND OUT QUICKLY THAT IT WAS A SCAM! THEY ALSO HAVE A WINDOWS XP CLEANER THAT WAS A VIRUS! WE SURE WONT DO THAT AGAIN!

  • 21 Posted by thephantomposter on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's more than a little depressing that there are still people out there falling for these insidious pop-up windows that actually CAUSE the harm they claim to fix. That being the case, apparently, thanks for bringing this information to such people via the Yahoo! homepage. Anything to help defeat the "scum and villainy" that are Internet scam artists. Microsoft should hammer these guys often and as hard as they can. Unfortunately, easier said than done, as your article indicates. The Internet is still the 21st-century Wild West, minus any semblance of Honor. Education, vigilance, and frequent updates are the best combination until successful prosecution. "Or just get a Mac!" Very funny. P.S. The good, legitimate anti-spyware/malware programs are the ones that DON'T ambush you, folks. They don't need to. Keep that in mind.

  • 22 Posted by mickeymuckle on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    solution, buy a mac. end of this problem and most of the other ones you pc users deal with. and you just gotta ask yourself why? because everyone else has one? remember folks, you get what you pay for.

  • 23 Posted by freezing_ice_kirby on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    There are a lot of scamming companies out there, as I am starting to find out. One such scam is a site called "FinallyFast", that says it'll speed up your computer by doing such and such. I thought it was too good to be true, and turns to find out, it was very much false. The site gives you vicious viruses, and will screw up your computer so fast, you won't know what to do. And you know what the biggest shock is!? Their commercial is STILL being shown on Television! I've seen that darn commercial on 5 different channels... and there's nothing I can do about it... Disgusting really.

  • 24 Posted by revoskateteam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    if people would just think about things before they click, or even read them at all, this wouldn't happen.

  • 25 Posted by michaelfromseattle2005a on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    We just caught a karaoke equipment dealer who had such a scam going on their website. No doubt business has been slow, so these cockroaches chose to incorporate the malware into their website so as to "earn" money for each download from the scam site. The technique of loading scareware or any other malware onto your computer simply by your landing on their web page is called "drive-by." AVG-Anti-Virus picked it right up, correctly identifying it as a trojan horse. Whenever possible you should take legal action against these people. Under United States law you can sue them bigtime for effectively breaking-in to your computer and attempting to defraud you. Put these websites out of business!

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