Your Computer Was Disabled POP-UP Scam

What is "Your computer was disabled"?

Many deceptive websites are used by scammers to trick people into believing that there are problems with their computers/installed operating systems. "Your computer was disabled" is a scam categorized as a fake error/virus alert. People usually arrive at websites that promote scams of this type unintentionally.

Potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) cause redirects to these sites. If installed, PUAs open dubious, untrustworthy websites, and often gather information and display intrusive advertisements.

The main part of this scam is a pop-up window that is opened by an untrustworthy website. The pop-up is presented as a security warning and states that the computer was disabled due to an error ("Error Code # XMLR01F7985..").

People who visit this website are encouraged not to ignore this "important" warning. The pop-up states that ignoring this error can result in even more problems. Additionally, it informs users that the computer is also infected with malware and data such as Facebook and email account details, banking information and browsing history, are at risk.

To prevent data loss or other problems, users are urged to contact "Microsoft experts" within a few minutes by calling the (877) 374-3014 number. According to this scam, a specialist will then guide people through a "rebuilding procedure". This will supposedly help to solve the problem remotely, however, since this is a scam, calling the number will lead to calling scammers.

Note that Microsoft has nothing to do with this website/scam or other websites of this type. The main purpose of these scams is to extort money from people by tricking them into purchasing unnecessary (and untrustworthy) software or online services. These websites (scams) should never be trusted. If opened, we recommend that you close the site.

Do not take the information seriously. If it cannot be closed normally, use Task Manager to end the browser process. When closed, do not reopen it (i.e. the browsing session should not be restored).

Frequently, people are forced to visit untrustworthy websites due to potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) installed on their systems. Apps of this type usually feed users with various ads such as coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. These are annoying and, if clicked, often open dubious (possibly malicious) websites.

Another problem with apps of this type is that they collect and share data. PUAs record information such as search queries, IP addresses, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites and other similar (browsing-related) data. Some PUAs gather personal details.

The developers continually share the data with third parties who misuse it to generate revenue. It is possible that some of these parties might be cyber criminals.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your computer was disabled" 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.

There are many deceptive websites that are used to scam people. Some examples are "Virus Support Alert", "ERROR 0X1CXX560", and "Windows Is Not Activated". Generally, scammers use them to extort money from innocent people - they attempt to trick people into purchasing software or using paid online services.

PUAs that open these websites (or cause redirects to them) are usually very similar. Most are promoted as useful and legitimate, however, once installed, they only cause problems. PUAs are used by developers to generate revenue and provide no useful features or tools.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In some cases, PUAs can be downloaded from supposedly official websites, however, users generally download and install apps of this type inadvertently. These unwanted downloads and installations are caused by intrusive (untrustworthy) advertisements that people click, or by software developers who use "bundling" to trick them.

Bundling is a deceptive marketing method used to lure people into downloading/installing unwanted apps with other regular software that users are willing to install.

Developers achieve this by hiding information regarding the inclusion of PUAs in "Custom", "Advanced" and other parts of the download/installation set-ups. Despite this, most users install them inadvertently by skipping setup steps and leaving available settings unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To avoid unwanted downloads/installations, choose software download sources carefully. Download software using official and trustworthy sources/websites and direct links. Avoid third party downloaders or installers, untrustworthy/unofficial, Peer-to-Peer networks (such as eMule, torrent clients), and so on. Take your time and examine each download and installation setup.

Check all available settings such as "Advanced", "Custom" and other similar parts. Deselect offers to download or install any additionally-included apps (PUAs) that you do not want to download or install, and only then finish the process. Avoid clicking ads that are displayed on untrustworthy websites (or other intrusive ads).

These ads usually redirect people to dubious web pages (such as gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc.). If you encounter such ads or redirects, an unwanted app might be installed on the browser or operating system. Check for unknown/unwanted extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on your browser, and remove them immediately.

Also apply this to programs installed on the computer (operating system). If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them .

Text presented in "Your computer was disabled" pop-up:

YOUR COMPUTER WAS DISABLED
Error Code # XLMR01F7985
Call MS Technical Support: (877) 374-3014
Try not to ignore this important warning.
In the event that you leave this without fixing this issue, access to your PC will be expelled to anticipate further obliteration to our system.

Your PC has alerted us that it was contaminated with malware. The following information is in threat:
1. Facebook Details
2. Credit Card information
3. Email Credentials
4. Browsing History and information

You should get in touch with us quickly so our specialists can direct you through the rebuilding procedure by telephone. If it's not toll much trouble call us in the next 3 minutes to alert sever damage/loss data of your PC.
Contact MS Expert: (877) 374-3014 (Toll-Free)

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 "Your computer was disabled" 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.

▼ Show Discussion