Do not trust fake "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected" websites

What is "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected"?

While inspecting rogue websites, our researchers discovered "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected". Our inspection of this online content revealed that it is a scam intended to trick visitors into downloading/installing and/or purchasing software.

It must be emphasized that this scam is in no way associated with the McAfee anti-virus or McAfee Corp.

"McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected" scam overview

This scam bears a relatively legitimate appearance, and the information provided by it is not intrinsically false. The scheme encourages users to purchase the McAfee anti-virus to protect their devices from viruses and malware; since that is the purpose of security software, the statement that a system without such a program is vulnerable - is true. However, as mentioned in the introduction, this content is in no way associated with McAfee.

When we inspected this scam, the "Protect Now" button redirected to a blank page. Similar scams are often used to promote legitimate software (e.g., McAfee) via an affiliate link in order to receive illegitimate commissions, as the deceptive promotion is not approved by the product's actual developers.

Even if this scheme were to redirect to McAfee's official website, that does not mean that its promise of a 60% discount on a one-year subscription would be accurate.

It has to be mentioned that scams of this kind (especially those that "detect" fake viruses on visitors' computers) commonly push fake anti-viruses, adware, browser hijackers, and various PUAs - under the guise of genuine products. We have even observed instances of these scam models being used to proliferate trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

To summarize, by trusting scams like "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected" - users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Therefore, we strongly advise downloading/installing and/or purchasing software products only from official and verified sources.

Threat Summary:

Name	McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected scam website
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam urges users to purchase McAfee anti-virus.
Related Domains	ladybugprotection[.]store, alliedflaps[.]store, alliedowlagator[.]store, smartreviewglobal[.]com, magmaaffiliate[.]store, financereview[.]co, timetocheck[.]xyz, goldenaffiliate[.]store, purrunification[.]store, salmonaffiliate[.]store. coatimundiresults[.]shop, utilityhub[.]info
Detection Names (ladybugprotection[.]store)	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (ladybugprotection[.]store)	172.67.223.52
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections.
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.

Similar scam examples

We have analyzed thousands of scams; "Your Computer May Be At Risk With An Expired McAfee License", "MICROSOFT WINDOWS With Pre-installed Mcafee", "Chrome is infected with Trojan:SLocker", and "Keep Your PC Updated With Norton!" are just some of those akin to "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected".

Scams often use various models and different disguises to gain and subsequently abuse victims' trust. Due to how widespread deceptive and malicious content is on the Web, we highly recommend exercising caution when browsing.

How did I open a scam website?

Scam sites can be accessed through others that use rogue advertising networks; they can be force-opened upon entry or when hosted content is interacted with (e.g., clicking buttons, links, ads, etc.). Deceptive webpages can also be accessed via a redirect (or redirection chain) caused by mistyping a website's address (URL).

Spam browser notifications and intrusive advertisements promote online scams as well. Adware can deliver ads promoting scams or force-open their sites.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

We advise researching software and downloading it from official and trustworthy channels. Furthermore, when installing, it is important to read terms, inspect possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt-out of all additions - to prevent bundled software from infiltrating the system.

Another recommendation is to exercise care when browsing since illegitimate and malicious content usually appears genuine and innocuous. For example, intrusive adverts look harmless yet redirect to highly questionable websites (e.g., gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

We also advise against visiting websites offering pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.) since they are usually monetized via rogue advertising networks.

To avoid receiving scam-promoting browser notifications, do not enable suspicious sites to display them (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, ignore or deny notification delivery requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.

Text presented in the "McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected" scam:

McAfee
Together is power.

Special pricing available: 60% OFF

Protect your computer from viruses and malware!

 
Act Now To Keep
Your Computer Protected.

If your computer is unprotected, it can be exposed to viruses and other malware..

1 Year
Subscription

Includes
Antivirus Security

60% OFF

Protect Now

Special pricing available: 60% OFF

Copyright © 2022 - All Rights Reserved.
This website is privately owned and is neither operated by, nor affiliated with this brand
Privacy Policy

Another similar McAfee-themed message:

Text presented within:

Protect Your Windows PC From 2022 Viruses

If your Windows Computer is unprotected, it is at risk for viruses, malware and ransomeware.

Discount Available:
You are eligible for UP TO 70% OFF

Protect My Computer

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 McAfee - Act Now To Keep Your Computer Protected scam website?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pop-up scam?

Pop-up scams are messages intended to trick users into performing specific actions, e.g., downloading/installing and/or purchasing software, disclosing private information, calling fake helplines, making monetary transactions, and so on.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Cyber criminals use pop-up scams to generate revenue. The scammers can profit by promoting software, abusing or selling private data, obtaining funds through deception (e.g., fake shipping, transaction, storage, and other bogus fees), proliferating malware, and so forth.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are promoted on deceptive webpages. Most users enter sites of this kind via redirects caused by pages using rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs, intrusive ads, spam browser notifications, or installed adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner is capable of scanning visited websites and detecting rogue, deceptive, and malicious ones. Hence, should you enter such a page - you will be warned immediately, and further access will be restricted.

▼ Show Discussion