Bogus spyware software scams are nothing new, but a new group of rogue operators are at it again and thousands of consumers have already taken the bait. The basics of the operation are fairly simple. Victims browse legitimate sites in which 3rd part ads from Google or Yahoo appear. When a victim clicks on the page they get a mysterious warning that their systems are having a problem. When the victim clicks on the warning message a rogue pirece of software is installed onto the system to steal information. The victim may also be asked for a credit card and pay some amount of money to have the critter removed, which does not exist.

What makes this hard for some users to resist, is that the alerts appear as real Window screens that make it look like a legitimate program. Needless to say, no reputable spyware company operates in this fashion. If you become a targeted victim, I would reccomend not clicking on the ads, closing your browser and rebooting. You should than scan your system with both a anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

These ads are slipping thru web site safeguards and are making the rounds, so be vigilant and don’t be deceived, especially if you are asked for credit card information or any type of payment in advance. This should be your first clue that you are being scammed.

Comments welcome.

[tags]scam, spyware, warning, message, credit card, virus, deceived, [/tags]