How to avoid scams like "McAfee - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection"

What is "McAfee - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection"?

We have discovered that it is a typical pop-up scam designed to trick visitors into taking certain actions. Usually, scammers behind scams like this one use scare tactics to achieve their goals. Users should avoid visiting such pages and close them if they encounter them to avoid potential negative outcomes.

"McAfee - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection" in detail

On this site, a fake McAfee warning appears, claiming that your computer is at risk of virus infection due to the visit to an unsafe page with illegal content. This deceptive pop-up message urges you to run a virus scan for safe operation. Clicking the "RUN A TEST" button starts a fake system scanning process.

Once the "scan" is complete, a message saying that five threats have been detected appears. The ultimate goal of this pop-up scam is likely to trick visitors into purchasing a McAfee antivirus subscription. Typically, sites like this one direct users to legitimate sites with an affiliate's ID in the URL.

When a user makes a purchase, the affiliate receives a commission. Even though McAffee is a legitimate computer security software company, sites designed to trick visitors into paying for antivirus or other tools cannot be trusted and should be closed. They are crafted only to help dishonest affiliates to earn money.

Threat Summary:

Name	McAfee - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection fake warning
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Your computer is at risk of virus infection
Disguise	Legitimate warning from McAfee
Related Domain	sapexivi[.]com
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Combo Cleaner (Malware), ESET (Malware), G-Data (Malware), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan.
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.

Conclusion

There are numerous sites that use fake security warnings to trick visitors into believing their computer is at risk, prompting them to take unnecessary actions like purchasing software. These tactics create a sense of urgency through false threats, leading users to spend money, often to benefit affiliates with commissions.

Such sites are deceptive and should not be trusted. More examples of similar scams are "Microsoft Windows Locked Due To Unusual Activity", "(5) Virus/Malware infections have been detected", and "WARNING: Antivirus Protection EXPIRED!".

How did I open a scam website?

Users can open scam websites through deceptive emails or messages containing fraudulent links or attachments. Ads, pop-ups, buttons, and links on compromised or untrustworthy sites may also lead users to scams, as can links shared on fake or hacked social media accounts. Additionally, users may encounter scams via ads delivered by adware present on their computers.

In other cases, users can be directed to scam websites via notifications from shady sites and pages that use rogue advertising networks (mostly torrent sites, illegal movie streaming pages, adult web pages, and similar platforms).

How to avoid visiting scam pages?

Be wary of unexpected emails, especially those from unfamiliar senders, and refrain from opening attachments or clicking on links within those emails. Do not permit suspicious websites to show notifications. Always download software and files from trusted app stores or official websites.

Do not trust (click) pop-ups, ads, buttons, and links on questionable sites (especially if you did not open those sites on purpose). Ensure that your operating system and applications are regularly updated, use reputable security software, and conduct routine scans on your computer for added protection.

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

The appearance of "McAfee - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection" pop-up scam (GIF):

Text in the fake pop-up warning:

McAfee

SAFETY SYSTEM

Your computer is at risk of virus infection virus infection!

You have visited an unsafe site with illegal content!

Run a virus scan for safe operation!

RUN A TEST

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 - Computer Is At Risk Of Virus Infection fake warning?
• 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?

Usually, it involves a scam website displaying misleading pop-up messages, warning users about non-existent problems such as virus infections or security breaches. These messages often pressure users to click a link or call the provided number.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

The aim of a pop-up scam is to deceive users into sharing personal information, paying for fraudulent services, or allowing access to their devices. Falling for these scams can result in serious consequences, including identity theft, financial loss, and malware infections.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Scam websites are disseminated via deceptive emails, fake or compromised social media accounts, misleading advertisements, torrent pages, illegal movie streaming sites, and others associated with dubious ad networks. Additionally, notifications from unreliable websites and ads generated by adware can lead users to these fraudulent sites.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner can analyze every website you visit and can identify malicious sites. It also detects sites that host pop-up scams, providing immediate warnings and blocking access to protect users.

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