The Roboto Condensed Font Was Not Found Scam
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found"?
Similar to The ArialText Font Was Not Found and The HoeflerText Font Wasn't Found, "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found" is a fake pop-up error message displayed by a malicious website. This fake pop-up was first discovered by security researcher MalwareBreakdown.
Research shows that users often visit this website inadvertently - they are redirected by potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that infiltrate systems without permission. As well as causing redirects, PUPs deliver intrusive online advertisements and continually track browsing activity by gathering various user-system information.
The error message states that the system is missing a font called "Roboto Condensed", thus preventing a website from being opened. To fix the issue, users must supposedly update the font pack. Rather than installing the font, however, this error infiltrates the system with a number of cryptocurrency-mining trojans, as well as Nymaim and Ursnif viruses.
In fact, "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found" error is a scam and, therefore, should be ignored. Cyber criminals generate revenue by proliferating this malware. Distributing malware is quite unusual behavior for fake errors. Most falsely claim that the system is infected or damaged, and encourage victims to contact 'technical support'.
Cyber criminals then demand a fee in exchange for guidance in resolving the issue. PUPs often deliver pop-up, coupon, banner, and other similar advertisements. They also use a "virtual layer" - a tool that enables placement of third party graphical content on any site.
Therefore, displayed advertisements often conceal underlying content, significantly diminishing the browsing experience. In addition, these ads redirect to malicious websites or even activate scripts that download and install malware - thus, even accidental clicks can result in high-risk adware or malware infections.
Many PUPs gather information that might be personally identifiable. PUP developers share the collected data (IP addresses, websites visited, pages viewed, search queries, mouse/keyboard activity, etc.) with third parties who misuse personal details to generate revenue. Therefore, the presence of data-tracking applications can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.
Name | "The "Roboto Condensed" font was not found" virus |
Threat Type | Ransomware, Crypto Virus, Files locker |
Symptoms | Can't open files stored on your computer, previously functional files now have a different extension, for example my.docx.locked. A ransom demanding message is displayed on your desktop. Cyber criminals are asking to pay a ransom (usually in bitcoins) to unlock your files. |
Distribution methods | Infected email attachments (macros), torrent websites, malicious ads. |
Damage | All files are encrypted and cannot be opened without paying a ransom. Additional password stealing trojans and malware infections can be installed together with a ransomware infection. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are dozens of malicious websites that display fake errors similar to "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found" including Google Chrome Warning Alert, Ransomware Detected, and Suspicious Incoming Network Connections. These are just some examples from many.
All claim that the system is infected, missing files, or damaged in other similar ways, however, these errors are designed only to proliferate malware or extort money from unsuspecting victims. PUPs are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.
By offering 'useful features', they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, these programs give no significant value for regular users. They merely cause unwanted redirects (thereby promoting various websites), deliver intrusive advertisements (via the "Pay Per Click" advertising model), and record various data (which is later sold to third parties).
Most of the promoted websites are fake Internet search engines that contain dozens of intrusive advertisements. Furthermore, PUPs promote suspicious websites by generating search results irrelevant to the user. Therefore, fake search engines pose a direct threat to browsing safety.
How did potentially unwanted programs install on my computer?
Most PUPs are distributed using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of third party programs with regular software/apps. Developers are aware that users often skip download/installation steps and thus hide bundled programs within the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings.
As mentioned above, cyber criminals also proliferate PUPs via intrusive advertisements. Therefore, by skipping download/installation steps and clicking on various advertisements, users often expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Installation of PUPs can be prevented by taking two simple steps: 1) carefully analyze each download/installation step (especially the "Custom/Advanced" settings) and decline offers to download/install additional software, and; 2) never click any advertisements.
Cyber criminals take their business seriously and put a great deal of effort into making intrusive advertisements appear legitimate - it is hard to determine if certain advertisements can be trusted. Therefore, do not take any risk. The key to computer safety is caution.
Text presented within "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found" pop-up error:
The web page you are trying to load is displayed incorrectly, as it uses the “Roboto Condensed” font. To fix the error and display the next, you have to update the “Chrome/Mozilla Font Pack”
Manufacturer: Google INc. All Rights Reserved./Mozilla Corporation.
Current version: Chrome Font Pack 54.0.2785.89/Mozilla Font Pack 53.0.2785.89
Latest version: Chrome Font Pack 60.0.3112.90/Mozilla Font Pack 60.3112.90
Second "The 'Roboto Condensed' font was not found" pop-up:
Apart from spreading ransomware (for example Ykcol), this scam is also spreading adware infections for example - NotToTrack, WebOptimum, Search Awesome, dotdo, s5mark, OnlineApp, Interstat, and many other:
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Quick menu:
- What is "The "Roboto Condensed" font was not found" virus?
- How to identify a pop-up scam?
- How do pop-up scams work?
- How to remove fake pop-ups?
- How to prevent fake pop-ups?
- What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
How to identify a pop-up scam?
Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.
While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.
Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:
- Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
- Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
- Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
- Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
- Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.
Example of a pop-up scam:
How do pop-up scams work?
Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.
Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.
How to remove fake pop-ups?
In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.
In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.
How to prevent fake pop-ups?
To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.
To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.
- If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
- If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
- If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
- Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.
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