How To Avoid ‘Scareware’

Our SCIP top techy Andy Fairhall reports he has recently received calls from fed-up customers who have been caught out by ‘scare-ware’.

These are programs designed to disable your anti-virus system to download a virus and can cause havoc.

They work by showing a text bubble, usually on the right-hand lower corner of your screen, saying viruses have been detected on your computer.

By clicking on the text, you are effectively giving permission to overwrite the virus protection you should have on your system. This will then allow a virus to be released onto your computer.

How to stop scareware.

What should you do if you see a box telling you viruses have been detected?

Andy says;

”The first thing to do is not open the text box in the first place. If you see one, just close it without opening it.

“But if you do click on it, by accident, then realise what you have done, remove the network cable from the back of your machine, so it does not spread through the system.  Then give SCIP a call and we can talk you through your next steps.

“These viruses can cause a lot of problems and could lose data on your system. Don’t feel bad about being caught out, these programs are designed to look authentic and can be very professional looking.

“It is also a good idea to warn other people in your organisation who may work on the system, to ensure they don’t get caught out too.”

 If you want more advice on this issue or any other technical issue, call Andy on 01273 234 791 or email [email protected]