Critical Alert WANNACRY DETECTED POP-UP Scam

What is WANNACRY DETECTED?

Displayed by a dubious website, "WANNACRY DETECTED" is a fake error similar to Application.exe Has Stopped Working, Windows Detected ZEUS Virus, Your Device Is Under Threat, and many other similar sites. 

Research shows that users are redirected to this website by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that typically infiltrate computers without users' consent. In addition to redirects, PUPs deliver various ads, misuse system resources, and gather sensitive data.

This error states that the system has been infected with high-risk malware called WannaCry and users should immediately contact Microsoft certified technicians via a toll-free telephone number ("+1-844-528-4333") provided. Users are then supposedly guided through the malware removal process. Note that this error is fake - it is a scam and has nothing to do with Microsoft.

All claims regarding the malware are false - the computer is not infected. Cyber criminals attempt to scare and trick users into paying for technical services that are not required. These people are likely to request remote access to users' computers. Immediately after connecting, they stealthily modify system settings and/or install malware.

Then they claim to "detect" additional errors and offer further services for an extra fee. For these reasons, we strongly advise you to ignore "WANNACRY DETECTED" and never call aforementioned the telephone number.

The "WANNACRY DETECTED" error can be removed simply by closing the web browser or rebooting the system, however, note that after re-running the browser, you should never click "Restore Closed Tabs", otherwise you risk visiting this malicious website again.

Research shows that many PUPs generate pop-up, coupon, banner, and other intrusive advertisements. These are delivered via tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. They conceal visited website content, thereby significantly diminishing users' Internet browsing experience.

In addition, intrusive ads may redirect to infectious websites and/or even execute scripts designed to download/install malware/PUPs. Therefore, clicking them can cause high-risk computer infections. Furthermore, some PUPs and malicious websites mine cryptocurrency or run other unwanted processes in the background, significantly reducing system performance.

In addition, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) continually gather various information (mostly relating to users' Internet browsing).

Collected information may include personal details. PUP developers sell this information to third parties (typically, for marketing purposes), however, personal details might be misused to generate revenue. Therefore, information tracking can result in serious privacy issues. For these reasons, we strongly advise you to eliminate all PUPs immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	"WANNACRY DETECTED" virus
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of one's computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

As mentioned above, "WANNACRY DETECTED" shares many similarities with dozens of other fake errors.

Note that, as with "WANNACRY DETECTED", these also claim that the system is damaged (e.g., infected, missing files, etc.), however, such claims are simply attempts to extort money from unsuspecting users by tricking them into purchasing unnecessary technical support.

Potentially unwanted programs also share many similarities. Most offer various "useful features", however, potentially unwanted programs typically deliver no real value for regular users - they are designed only to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than enabling the features promised, PUPs pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did potentially unwanted programs install on my computer?

Most PUPs are proliferated using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling", together with the aforementioned intrusive advertisements. Due to lack of knowledge and careless behavior by many users, PUPs typically infiltrate systems without permission. "Bundling" is stealth installation of third party software together with regular (mostly free) programs.

Developers hide "bundled" apps within the "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes - they do not adequately disclose this information. Furthermore, many users click various advertisements, rush download/installation processes, and skip steps. In doing so, they expose their systems to risk of various infections.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and especially when downloading/installing software. Note that rogue ads usually look legitimate, however, they are distinguishable for their redirects. Intrusive ads usually lead to adult dating, pornography, gambling, survey, and other dubious websites.

If you encounter such redirects, uninstall all suspicious applications/browser plug-ins. Furthermore, select the "Custom/Advanced" settings, closely observe each download/installation step, and cancel all additionally-included programs. Avoid using third party download/installation tools, since they often include dubious apps. The key to computer safety is caution.

Text presented in "WANNACRY DETECTED" pop-up error:

CRITICAL ALERT FROM MICROSOFT :WANNACRY DETECTED! IMMEDIATE SUPPORT REQUIRED

Microsoft has detected WANNACRY Virus on your computer and network location.
Recent website visit might be the reason for this.

Please call us immediately at the toll-free number listed so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process of WANNACRY over the phone. Call us immediately on our Toll Free ++1-844-528-4333 for Technical Assistance.

***********************************

Toll Free ++1-844-528-4333

***********************************

Please do not use any internet based services to avoid any identity thefts.
PLEASE DO NOT SHUT DOWN OR RESTART YOUR COMPUTER AS WANNACRY IS EFFECTING INTERNET USERS GLOBALLY. RESTARTING THE COMPUTER OR IGNORING THE MESSAGE WILL MEAN THAT WANNACRY WILL START SENDING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMAITON TO WANNACRY SERVER IN NORTH KOREA. PLEASE CALL MICROSOFT SUPPORT TO FIX

The appearance of "WANNACRY DETECTED" pop-up (GIF):

Cyber criminals responsible for releasing this tech support scam started using a script that initiates massive amount of file downloads in order to freeze victims computer.

Computer users should use their task manager (press ctrl+alt+del keys on your keyboard simultaneously, select task manager, look for the process of your Internet browser, select it, click End Task) to close the window (end the process) of their Internet browser (cyber criminals are using +44 203 287 3452 phone number):

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is "WANNACRY DETECTED" 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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