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Computer security alerts aren't always what they seem

It says your computer may have a virus and it offers a free security check. Just click on the pop-up and your worries are over or are they? Authorities are warning that pop-up could be a rip-off.

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sikofit - 1/7/2009 12:27 AM
Thanks for the info, catprotector! I hope this computer isn't infected, it's new. How would I know?

catprotector - 1/6/2009 11:30 AM
As a computer tech which services residential and small business customers in the Phoenix metro area, I've been getting plenty of calls on this type of issue. Some of them had Anti-virus 2009 or some other message popping up saying their computer needed to be scanned because it found a problem that supposedly was there. Then when the person runs the scan they realize they're computer is infected. What people don't realize is that Antivirus 2009 is a fake spyware program but it's become a two headed monster as of late because it also can infect your system with a trojan virus as well. There are also plenty of simillar fake programs like Antivirus 2009 that have also been popping up as well. I've had to reformat a few hard drives because a virus replicated itself within the registry even after deploying some traditional virus, malware and spyware scans. If you think your computer is infected then I'd call in a professional tech (not some part-timer or some fly-by night tech) to do the job. Sikofit, control-alt-delete won't get rid of it most of the time. It might very well pop up again. I had a customer who said he did that and sometime later he got the message again. It took a little work on his laptop to get rid of it.

sikofit - 1/6/2009 1:01 AM
Hey thanks, been getting these. It did look official, but something looked sorta different about it. I hit the 'x' and it wouldn't close. You have to do the 'control, alt, delete' to get out of it.



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