What is antivirus software scams
Antivirus Software is created to "prevent and search" for viruses or remove malicous software. There are 3 types of antivirus software scams created they are as listed Fake antivirus Software, Imposter, Scareware. They are often disguised as real ones which are suppose to preform vital functions to your computer.
An Antivirus Software is suppose to Scan the computer for any malware and remove any malicious code. It is also suppose to have several scheduled scans to help protect your device. It also initiates scans for files or drives of your computer and initiates scans outside of the scheduled scan to help make sure your computer is safe. Lastly they display how "safe" your computer is.
Antivirus Software Scams
Fake Antivirus Software start by making fake websites for the "Antivirus" then they make you pay for it and once installed they will install malware into your computer to steal personal infomation. Next, the imposter antivirus scam send you an email of a fake "trusted" antivirus program needing an update and send a link in the message for the user to click on to install the malware. Lastly, is Scareware, where scammers scare the user to installing a malware such as a fake popup message telling the user that their computer has virus or malware. They often then have a message to buy an antivirus software where they take your credit card information from it.
How to Avoid Antivirus Scams
To avoid being scammed you must avoid Trojan which send fake virus alerts to your computer and you can get one by clicking on a link in an email or a website so make sure not to click on any unknown links as they could be harmful to your computer. What to look for if you think you got An antivirus software malware, things you can look for is Antivirus Software giving more alerts than usual as they give out lots of popups and alerts not normal for a regular antivirus software, computer slowing down, and new desktop, wallpaper, or icon on computer.
You can prevent getting an antivirus Software scam by using scambusters.org using Firefox as your browser instead of internet explorer. Second is by keeping your computer up to date with official antivirus and anti spy software and a good firewall. Third is never opening an email unless you are positive the source is trustable. Fourth, you can help not get an antivirus software scam by not clicking on the pop ups that say your computer has been infected. And if a popup appears make sure to use task manager to close everything as even hitting the “X” button can be unsafe. Next, do not download freeware or shareware unless the source is trustworthy. And make sure to avoid questionable websites as some can download malware on your computer. You can also raise your security level on your computer to a higher level to help protect your computer. Make sure when not sure about a software to check it some fake softwares isn't exactly the same as the original. Finally, check online for lists of fake antivirus software and antispyware products.