Do not trust fake "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" sites

What kind of scam is "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!"?

While investigating suspicious websites, our research team discovered the "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" scam. This deceptive content is disguised as the McAfee anti-virus, and it must be stressed that the actual McAfee Corp. is not associated with this scheme.

"McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" makes false claims regarding system infections. Typically, scams of this kind are used to promote untrustworthy and harmful software.

"McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" scam overview

This scheme is presented as the McAfee anti-virus – using its name, logo, and other graphical elements. When the website promoting this scam was accessed, the page displayed a pop-up window. The message therein stated that a virus was detected on the visitor's device. It warned that computer data may get deleted.

The pop-up urged to scan the system and eliminate the threat. After we pressed the "Scan PC" button, the scheme displayed a fake interface of the McAfee anti-virus and imitated a system scan. While the bogus scan was running, multiple threat reports were shown on the right side of the page. Then the scheme presented us with a pop-up used by versions of the "McAfee - Your PC is infected with 5 viruses!" scam.

As previously mentioned, this deceptive content is in no way associated with McAfee, Windows, or any other legitimate products/companies.

In most cases, schemes like "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" are used to endorse fake anti-viruses, adware, browser hijackers, and PUAs – under the guise of "useful" and "advantageous" tools. We have even discovered instances where such scams proliferated trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

It is noteworthy that schemes of this kind may abuse the affiliate programs of legitimate software/services and redirect to their official websites. In these cases, the scammers seek to obtain illegitimate commissions for the fraudulent promotion.

However, even if a redirect lands on a legitimate site – the scam must not be trusted. Firstly, it could be a malicious webpage disguised as one belonging to reputable content, and secondly, where a scheme redirects may change. Therefore, we strongly advise downloading only from official and verified sources.

To summarize, by trusting a scam like "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	"McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Device is infected with viruses.
Disguise	McAfee
Related Domains	mograppido[.]com, comatennianacon[.]xyz
Detection Names (mograppido[.]com)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (mograppido[.]com)	35.175.94.196
Symptoms	Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan.
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Similar scam examples

We have investigated thousands of online scams; "Your NordVPN AntiVirus License Has Expired!", "Avira Security scam", "Aura Antivirus Protection", and "McAfee - TROJAN_2022 And Other Viruses Detected" just some examples of ones akin to "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!".

There are various schemes on the Web; some warn of viruses/threats and urge to download/install apps or call fake helplines, others – promise prizes for taking surveys/ registering accounts, and so forth. However, the sole goal of scams is to profit from victims.

Due to how widespread deceptive and malicious content is online, we highly recommend exercising caution while browsing.

How did I open a scam website?

Scam sites are seldom accessed intentionally. A redirect to such a page can occur on a website that uses rogue advertising networks – immediately upon access or when hosted content is interacted with (e.g., clicking buttons, links, text input fields, etc.).

Online scams are also promoted by intrusive advertisements and spam browser notifications. Mistyping a site's URL can result in a redirect (or a redirection chain leading) to a deceptive webpage as well. Additionally, scam pages are promoted by adware – either through displayed ads or generated redirects.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Deceptive websites are primarily accessed via redirects caused by sites employing rogue advertising networks, misspelled URLs, spam browser notifications, intrusive adverts, and installed adware.

Therefore, we strongly recommend being vigilant while browsing since fake/malicious online content usually appears legitimate. For example, intrusive ads may look innocuous yet redirect to highly questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.).

We advise against using sites that offer pirated programs/media or other questionable services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.) – since they are usually monetized via rogue advertising networks. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to URLs and enter them with care.

To avoid receiving unwanted browser notifications – do not permit suspicious webpages to deliver them (i.e., "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, deny notification requests (i.e., select "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.) or ignore them altogether.

We also advise downloading only from official/trustworthy channels and approaching installation processes with due diligence (e.g., reading terms, exploring options, using "Custom/Advanced" settings, etc.) – to prevent bundled/harmful content from infiltrating the device.

If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.

Text presented in "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" pop-up:

McAfee Windows

Attention! A virus has been found on your PC!

Your computer data may be deleted

Click the button to scan your PC and remove the virus

[Scan PC]

The appearance of "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" pop-up scam (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is "McAfee - A Virus Has Been Found On Your PC!" pop-up?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pop-up scam?

Essentially, pop-up scams are deceptive messages intended to trick users into performing specific actions. For example, victims can be lured into downloading/installing software, purchasing products, making monetary transactions, disclosing private information, calling fake helplines, and so on.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Pop-up scams are used to generate revenue at victims' expense. Scammers can profit by obtaining funds through deception, selling or abusing sensitive information, promoting content, proliferating malware, and so forth.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are run on deceptive webpages that are seldom accessed intentionally. Most enter them via redirects caused by sites using rogue advertising networks, misspelled URLs, spam browser notifications, intrusive advertisements, or installed adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate threats. This includes scanning visited websites and warning if they are found to be suspicious or malicious. Therefore, should you access such a webpage – you will be alerted immediately, and further access to it will be blocked.

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