Your Mac Might Be Infected! POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is "Your Mac Might Be Infected!"?

"Your Mac Might Be Infected!" is a fake error message similar to "AppleCare Protection Plan", "Found 4 Virus", and many others. Users typically encounter this error when visiting deceptive websites.

In most cases, they visit such these sites inadvertently, since they are redirected by intrusive advertisements (delivered by other rogue websites) or potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), which often infiltrate systems without permission. As well as causing redirects, unwanted apps  gather information and deliver various ads.

This error message essentially performs a fake system scan and delivers a message stating that the system is infected. Users are encouraged to immediately remove detected malware by downloading and installing the Advanced Mac Cleaner application. Be aware, however, that "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" error is fake and your computer is likely to be safe and virus-free.

These errors are used to promote dubious applications (in this case, Advanced Mac Cleaner). After downloading and installing this application, users are able to perform a 'full system scan', however, to remove supposed malware, users must pay for the 'full version' of Advanced Mac Cleaner.

Therefore, ignore the "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" message and do not download/install the associated app. If you have already done so, remove it immediately. The "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" error can be removed simply by closing the deceptive website.

If you are unable to do this, terminate the browser using Windows Task Manager or simply reboot the system. Do not restore the previous browsing session, otherwise the malicious websites are re-opened.

As mentioned above, potentially unwanted applications record various user-system information relating to browsing activity. Recorded data (IP addresses website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and so on) usually includes personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

These people misuse private information to generate revenue. Therefore, having information-tracking apps installed on your computer might lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. Another significant downside is display of intrusive advertisements.

To deliver coupons, banners, pop-ups, and other similar ads, developers employ tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, the ads often conceal visited website content, thereby diminishing the browsing experience.

In addition, they can redirect to malicious websites and run scripts that download and install malware. Therefore, even a single click might result in a computer infections. You are advised to eliminate all potentially unwanted applications immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your Mac Might Be Infected!" POP-UP Scam
Threat Type	POP-UP Scam, Fake Error Message, Mac Virus
Domains Related To This Scam	lp.maccaretools.co, lp.pawmacutils.club, lp.qbitfixer.xyz, lp.qbitspeedutils.live, lp.techysystools.co, lp.tunesys.live, lp.tunesysfast.club
Detection Names (lp.maccaretools.co)	BitDefender (Malware), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (lp.maccaretools.co)	69.162.126.230
Sibling Domains (lp.maccaretools.co)	dl.maccaretools.co, secure.maccaretools.co, www.maccaretools.co
Symptoms	Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites, you notice presence of unwanted/questionable applications.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads, rogue websites, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information, installation of unwanted apps, financial losses.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

"Your Mac Might Be Infected!" shares many similarities with dozens of other fake errors. All claim that the system is damaged, however, these errors typically promote paid software and encourage users to contact fake 'tech support' and pay for services that are not needed.

Potentially unwanted applications have many similarities. Most offer "useful functionality", but few provide the functions promised. In most cases, they cause unwanted redirects, deliver ads, and record information.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Some PUAs have official download/promotion websites, however, in most cases, they infiltrate systems without permission, since developers proliferate them using the aforementioned intrusive ads and a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of unwanted programs together with regular software.

Developers are not honest enough to adequately disclose this information, and thus hide "bundled" applications within "Custom/Advanced" programs or other sections of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users often rush download/installation processes and skip steps.

In addition, they click advertisements without understanding the possible consequences. This behavior leads to inadvertent installation of potentially unwanted applications.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Study each step of the download/installation processes and opt-out of additionally-included applications. Software should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links.

Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue applications, and thus such tools should never be used. Furthermore, bear in mind that intrusive ads usually seem legitimate, but they often redirect to dubious sites (gambling, adult dating, and so on). If you experience these redirects, uninstall all dubious applications and browser plug-ins.

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior - the key to safety is caution. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" scam:

Your Mac Might Be Infected!
OS version: Mojave
Country:
IP Address:
Attention:Your Mac might be infected by the latest viruses. If you do not remove them, they
may damage your system files and slow down your internet browsing speed.
HOW TO REMOVE:
Step 1: Click on the button below to download now and install Advanced Mac Cleaner
Step 2: Run Advanced Mac Cleaner and remove all potential viruses immediately.
NO Adware, Spyware or Malware

Other pages of the website that displays "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" scam:

Appearance of "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" scam (GIF):

Screenshot of Advanced Mac Cleaner application:

Instant automatic Mac 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 Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac 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. Limited seven 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 "Your Mac Might Be Infected!" 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 macOS.

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 macOS) - 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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