Court Stops "Scareware" Scam That Tricks Consumers Into Buying Anti-Virus Software
The FTC says that a court has halted a massive "scareware" scheme that falsely claims that your computer is infected with viruses, spyware and illegal pornography.
The FTC says that over a million consumers have been tricked into paying for computer security products based on these bogus scans.
The products involved are WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner, ErrorSafe, and XP Antivirus.
Here's how the FTC describes the scam:
According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants used an elaborate ruse that duped Internet advertising networks and popular Web sites into carrying their advertisements. The defendants falsely claimed that they were placing Internet advertisements on behalf of legitimate companies and organizations. But due to hidden programming code that the defendants inserted into the advertisements, consumers who visited Web sites where these ads were placed did not receive them. Instead, consumers received exploitive advertisements that took them to one of the defendants’ Web sites. These sites would then claim to scan the consumers’ computers for security and privacy issues. The “scans” would find a host of purported problems with the consumers’ computers and urge them to buy the defendants’ computer security products for $39.95 or more. However, the scans were entirely false.
To learn more about "scareware" scams, check out this link from the FTC.
For real anti-virus software check out this post from Lifehacker.
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Comments:
Smart people buy legitimate products from legitimate sellers.
I think it's a great scam, especially "we found remnants of porn on your computer." Genius.
Because 85% of men quietly start freaking out while sitting in front of the family computer.
if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a Zlob trojan trying to act like a legitimate antivirus asking you to buy it only to receive countless further viruses
Next your going to tell me "SpeedUpMyPC.com" is a scam.
Yes, I'm referring to that company that uses fake screen shots on Macs and then says, "not available for mac".
While I am glad the FTC and the courts stepped in to stop this kind of BS advertising...I'll say what I say in every thread.
Think with your brain...that's what it's for. It's been over a decade now since the public was first taught not to click on random internet ads. People seem to now take a step further by not only clicking on ads, they then giving them their credit card information.
I realize not everyone is that familiar with computers and the internet...but how about a little common sense? Would you give a panhandler your credit card? Would you buy a "mystery box" from a random guy standing on a street corner? This is *almost* the same deal...
I always thought that most of those just removed competing spyware and installed their own...
@MaxSmart32: Is that even the companies name? I just caught their new commercial where the guy literally "flies" through the internet his computer is so fast. They also flash real fast that the scan is free, getting fixing things may cost money.
@MaxSmart32: Don't forget FinallyFast. I thought a bit odd that they used a Mac as a prop, then mentioned it was only for PC. If they can't keep their facts straight in an ad, why would I trust them mucking about with my PC?
@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: So are you upset because the product is a scam, or because it's not available for your Mac?
Just askin' ;-)
@weakdome:
Oh god, AntivirusXP. The only thing I've found yet to effectively kill that is a combination of Smithfraudfix (most important) followed by antivirus and Spybot scans. What a pain in the ass.
Its so funny. I have worked on many a computer that I could have made more by blackmailing the husband because of the porn found or the sites visited. A warning popup might make people take heed even if it was fake.
I had one of these ads change my desktop background to white, disable the display settings on my computer and then asked me if I wanted to install their anti virus software. (I was on Vista and Firefox BTW.)
I promptly closed the window, did a full virus scan (AVG), full spyware scan, fixed the background issue (they changed my registry settings to disable the wallpaper options!), and never went back to the site that had the advertisement.
The "the Mac is better" crowd's arguments have been seriously flawed since day 1. Yes, it's true that the underlying Unix architecture inherently contains better permission controls, and Microsoft willingly allowed software to directly access the OS kernel for years. However, this crowd consistently ignores one glaring fact: market share.
Microsoft still holds at least an 85% monopoly on the world's computer operating systems. Apple's market share is still at a paltry 5-10% I believe. Linux is even smaller than that. That fact alone, and the fact that Windows is primarily used in business, makes it a prime target for malware. Why should malware writers even bother writing attacks for Unix-based systems, when they can only attack less than 1/10 of the world's computers? Even then, Macs are still primarily used in educational settings. What is an attacker going to steal? Grades? Oh, little Timmy got a "D" on his report. Tsk, tsk.
Mac and Linux fanboys, and anti-malware companies, need to wake up fast. As their respective market shares increase, malware writers will continue to evolve and write more and more exploits for those platforms. Besides, Microsoft has evolved as well; sealing off the kernel, including a spyware scanner, and enhancing permissions are all great steps forward.
Now if I can just figure out why Vista feels the need to thrash my hard drive repeatedly. I have disabled System Restore, Indexing, and Defragmentation, and I have few background processes runnning. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!
One of the only things I saw that effectively rid machines of AntiVirus XP was the proprietary cocktail of anti-malware utilities engineered by GeekSquad. Some of the best stuff I've ever had the opportunity to use - twelve automated utilities running in a protected environment. Nothing gets past.
RurouniX:
the problem is, they disguise them to mimic legitimate Windows notifications or notices from Norton, McAfee, whatever. It's easy to click on them if you're not paying attention. And honestly, McAfee's software uses all sorts of scary pop-ups and notifications too, I'm surprised I can tell the difference at all!
The biggest problem is not market share, it is simply stupidity (or level of computer-savvy).
People will always be stupid. They will always click on inappropriate banner ads, they will always fall for the same scams over and over.
If there weren't these types of fools, these scams would disappear quickly.
@blackmage439: Yes, but it's certainly used in high profile environments.
It was big news a few years ago when the Army switched its servers to Macs. Several large corporations (Northwest was an example) have largely switched over.
Depends on whose stats you look at, and where. US marketshare has been pegged as high as 14%.
Sadly in this economy more and more computer targeted scams are gonna be out there.
No one with an ounce of sense would fall prey to this stuff.
The problem is that people treat computers like appliances, and don't want to understand what they are doing.
@blackmage439: Oldest and lamest argument in the book. 15% of the market is nothing to sneeze at, and whoever made some Mac malware would actually run on a Mac would own ALL of it. How is that not a tempting target?
@blackmage439: it must suck to be a windows user though. Malware writers have been trying for years to attack the mac but FAILED, not because of its numbers.
Meanwhile the Window fanboys can keep throwing money down the drain with their anti virus subscriptions. Antivirus subscriptions and apps will keep cutting your CPU performance AND suck $$ from your pocketbook every year.
@RecordStoreToughGuy: That's the one.
@humphrmi: I am running a 350mhz G3 with 10.2.8. NOTHING can make it fast. :)
Yes, this.
The main problem with my parent's computer is not that they're stupid or computer illiterate, it's that the windows often mimic legitimate ones and my father can't see well enough to distinguish the difference.
I am SO glad to see at least some of this getting shut down.
@lannister80: @ironchef:
I should note I used to HATE Macs before I started using them at work. I now love them. I run Windows at home because Macs are too expensive for me right now... I should also note I haven't paid for antivirus in years (yay for AVG and smart Web surfing).
I'm simply pointing out the lame arguments that each side keeps throwing around. All I'm saying is Mac users and A-V companies should be aware of what could potentially be on the horizon. There ARE successful attacks out there for the Mac, just like there are for Linux. The only difference is their smaller global footprints and superior permissions structures make attacks slightly more difficult. Look at your Mac updates once in a while. Those updates labeled "Security Update" aren't just for show.
As an IT Security analyst I have dealt with this type of scam several times, most recently just last week.
We have PC technicians, but they depend on me for guidance, so I like to keep 'my hand in it' to stay ahead.
It was the Anti Virus 2009 scam. Ultimately what I used to get the system clean and usable was Malwarebyt's Anti-Malware free version.
The screens that the malware displays are very close to the security center look and are so persistent that I do understand how even a savvy user could fall for the scam out of frustration.
@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: I am running a 350mhz G3 with 10.2.8. NOTHING can make it fast.
ooo I don't know about that, a handful of C4 and... :-)
I fought this SOB for a week before giving up and re-imaging my drive (fortunately the image was only a week old). I don't know if this damned thing was working along side something else, but on my computer, the antivirus became disabled and I could install any new scanners including the malwarebyte program.
No idea how it got on my computer, although I strongly suspect it has something to do with my 15 year old daughter and music videos.
As far as the general smarts of people falling for this, I would have to say don't be to hard on them...it looks very real.
@RurouniX:
The problem isn't just the stuff they are selling, but the fact that they put malware on your pc that is difficult to get off. It's especially a problem for corporate or other environments, where time and effort has to be put into removing stuff that end-users have installed.
I work in tech support, and we've had a number of users install XP AntiVirus. We've had to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning these machines, not to mention user downtime.
@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: That is my favorite fix my pc ad. We have had only two customers who actually paid for "XP Antivirus", and I tried really hard not make fun of them, but couldn't help myself. Earlier I sent in a letter to Consumerist that they sent one of the customers after he did a chargeback to get his money back, it was hilarious. It talked about how people were using their legitimate software and loading it with malware. Too funny!
@blackmage439: I think it has more to do with Bill Gates being the antichrist and the hacker community wanting to stick it to M$.
@ironchef:
NOD32 is one of the best and you wouldn't even notice it running. There's nothing wrong with running windows if you know what you're doing. Granted Windows machines are much more prone hostile takeovers if a naive user is at the kerboard ;)
We all know the people I'm talking about.
@framitz:
Agreed - some of these 'anti-virus' screens are legitimate looking enough to fool a lot of people.
@weakdome: Antivirus XP is a particularly nasty one. Both my brother and my wife got this on their machines. Same story in both cases: They visited a familiar, legitimate website in IE7 and were suddenly infected with this anti-virus virus.
My brother's computer pretty much bricked after removal using CA anti-virus, but my wife's work machine was fine after using the Malwarebytes tool. In both cases the anti-virus protection was either non-existent or out of date when the machines became infected.
@concordia: Scan results: 1.25 penises.
1 5/27's of a vagina.
Would you like to clear these remnants?
@m4ximusprim3: Macs ARE better, but that's not the point. A better point here is that Windows just sucks! Why buy an OS you have to spend at least another $100 on just to make it usable and virus free?
The same millions of people duped into buying an inferior OS are the same ones stupid enough to buy these programs.
@weakdome: Oy... I've had to disinfect a good dozen or so machines where I work. SuperAntiSpyware + some elbow grease in HijackThis did the job, but it was aggravating.
Even better, I'd often clear it with HijackThis and clean it with SAS, and have to rescan. Had to rescan twice a couple times even.
Ad-Aware, Spybot, and McAfee (mandated on the last one) didn't get it.
@GuinevereRucker: PS I once got fired from an IT job because the school blamed me for a virus that got around to everyone, even with anti-virus installed. I had been a Mac-user for years and didn't realize that by *going to a website* I could put the entire school at risk... They had to call in the "pros" and pay many thousands of dollars to get rid of it. Then they fired me. So yes I'm bitter :) You can fairly say I was a Windows and IT noob at the time and should have been more careful, but these kinds of issues simply do not exist on Macs, at least on the scale they do in a Windows enviornment.
@GuinevereRucker: "but these kinds of issues simply do not exist on Macs, at least on the scale they do in a Windows enviornment. "
Those last eleven words there are exactly what the majority of Apple users do not realize.
@ironchef:
I use free AV and free AS products that use very little resources. I've never had a virus or malware on any of my computers. Multiple computers I'm able to buy at little more than the cost of 1 Apple.
Even if I paid for AV and AS I'd still come out better than if I'd paid for an overpriced Apple.
This is a very old scam. This has been going on for many many many many moons now.
ABOUT TIME this got shot down.
AVG finally started catching it as a "virus", since neither Spybot nor Ad-Aware could effectively get rid of it.
"AntivirusXP" has to be one of THE WORST "non-virus"-Viruses out there, at least for windows users.
Cue the "this is why macs are better" commentary in 3, 2, 1...