One of the fastest growing scams on the internet is based upon the sale of fake antivirus programs.
A computer user, who does not have proper antivirus protection already installed, will pick up a Trojan via an infected website, email attachment or pop-up.
This Trojan will then cause pop-ups to appear on their computer, warning them that it has many infections that need to be removed.
Luckily, it would seem, the Trojan then also offers up the cure - an antivirus program you can buy there and then.
Unfortunately, said antivirus program is not real and will just as likely infect you itself.
These fake antivirus programs take your money, infect your computer and gain access to your credit card or banking details.
Here are 10 easy tips for avoiding these antivirus scams -
1. Ensure that your computer already has the latest antivirus protection from a reputable vendor and that you keep it fully updated.
2. Never open email attachments unless you are 100% certain that you know and trust the sender.
3. Never click on pop-up advertisements, even if they appear to be for well-known brands, as the fakes often use the names of genuine antivirus software.
4. Never click on any windows that appear, saying you are infected. Instead, use Ctrl+Alt+Del and then remove the rogue program from the list of running programs.
5. Do not visit questionable websites which may try to secretly download malicious code onto your computer.
6. Only download freeware and shareware files if you trust the source. I would never recommend downloading anything from peer-to-peer filesharing sources.
7. If you are looking to buy antivirus software then Google it's name first to check that it is from a reputable company.
8. Go into your internet settings and set the highest security level that you can work with.
Protecting yourself on the internet isn't as hard as you may think - apply some common sense and install a good set of security software and you should be well on the way to protecting yourself from antivirus scams.
About the Author:
Lee Ives runs an internet security blog where you can find plenty more information about antivirus programs, inclusing the 10 best antivirus programs.
