Do I have a virus ?

All the images on this page are FAKES

Also very popular is the ploy of displaying pop ups indicating you have been infected with a virus. You are then encouraged to download a virus remover, which, in fact, instals malware onto your computer.

If it pops up - it's a fake

No genuine providers of anti virus/spam/malware products ever use this method to promote their product.

The more you use the internet, the more you appreciate its convenience and access to services like banking and shopping. Unfortunately, the internet is also exploited for frauds that can sometimes look surprisingly genuine. Here are some of the tell tale signs of typical frauds, and some safety checks you should use to avoid them.

No genuine website gives pop up warnings of any malware on your computer.
Malware is any software with malicious intent.

Looks genuine doesn't it - it's a fake.

Bogus anti-spyware outfits are exploiting legal loopholes and extorting cash by claiming that they have found intrusive programmes on users' computers. These are not pop ups but dedicated web pages that try and scare you into downloading the malicious software. Once installed on your computer, these programmes will claim to have found all sorts of non existant virus or spyware on your computer.

Want to remove the "spyware" ?
Buy the full version for $??.

And if you didn't have any malware on your computer before the download, these programs will install their own brands of adware and spyware.

Another popular "lure" is the flashing message.

Other flashing messages may say you are the 1,000,000 visitor and have won a prize.

And when you click the link [despite all my warnings] you may arrive at a fake "404" page.

The 404 or Not Found error message is what we will see if we arrive at a webpage that does not exist. This is a genuine HTTP 404 Not Found page. Website also have the capability of replacing that page with a dedicated Not Found Page. My 404 page is HERE, but many websites provide something a little more user friendly.

BUT, many use the opportunity of a fake 404 page to try and infect your computer.

In the image below, I especially like the fake warning message in the Information bar which will probably fool many novice surfers. Internet Explorer obviously does not have links in the bar - but it's a nice touch. And just in case you are not fooled, there is a link in the main page.

Should you use a search engine to find a good spyware or anti-virus programme. NO. Why ? Because many of the rogue programmes are heavily touted on most search engines. These rogue programs lure users with "free" scans, which of course means that they will obviously find something nasty, and advise you to download their [rogue] programme. And that's where your problems will begin.

So, where do you begin.

Spywarewarrior is a website dedicated to spyware. Eric Howes is recognised as an authority on this subject and the information provided there, including Trustworthy Anti-Spyware Products is always reliable and up to date.

StopBadware.org is a "Neighborhood Watch" campaign aimed at fighting badware. They provide reliable, objective information about downloadable applications in order to help consumers make better choices about what they download onto their computers.

SunbeltBLOG is something I read EVERY day. Sunbelt is a software company which produces excellent products, one of those being CounterSpy. CounterSpy is one of the very best antispyware programmes available. Alex Eckelberry is the President of Sunware and blogs on a daily basis.

The blog provides a daily update of all new scams, fake websites, rogue programmes and other related matters. Alex provides an unbiased and excellent service that has helped many surfers from downloading and infecing their computers with rogue programmes.

The blog also has a daily update of all new fake codec programmes and fake codec websites.

Watch out for fake websites - they all look genuine

Looks like the real thing but this is nothing but trouble

Codecs
It seems more and more videos downloaded from the internet are coming with their very own nasty surprises.

Next Page has Codecs - an invitation to disaster

Internet Fraud Complaint Centres

FIDO - Australia

IC3 - USA