Do not trust fake "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" websites

What kind of scam is "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses"?

"AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" is a scam that our research team discovered while browsing dubious websites. It claims that the user's device is infected with multiple threats. The scheme's goal is to deceive users into downloading/installing the promoted software.

"AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" scam overview

This scam performs a system scan – a feat that cannot be done by any website. This bogus scan finds eighteen threats on the visitor's computer. The user is alerted that such viruses are likely to target their online activities, log-in credentials, and banking-related information.

The scheme states that unprotected devices are 93% more vulnerable to malware infections. The visitor is urged to take immediate action and renew their anti-virus.

As mentioned in the introduction, all these claims are false, and this scam is not associated with the AVG AntiVirus or its developer – AVG Technologies.

Typically, schemes that employ such scare tactics endorse untrustworthy, fraudulent, and potentially malicious applications. Hence, by trusting a scam like "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" users can experience fake anti-virus, adware, browser hijacker, PUA, trojan, ransomware, or other infections.

It is noteworthy that in some instances these schemes redirect users to official sites of genuine products/services. In these cases, the scammers aim to receive illegitimate commissions by abusing the endorsed content's affiliate programs. However, there are no guarantees that a deceptive page will continue to redirect to legitimate websites. Instead, visitors may be led to imitator webpages that proliferate unwanted or dangerous software.

To summarize, victims of scams like "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	"AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	User's computer is infected with 18 viruses.
Disguise	AVG
Related Domains	nofert[.]xyz
Detection Names (nofert[.]xyz)	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (nofert[.]xyz)	45.141.156.114
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 written about countless online scams; "Activate Your McAfee Antivirus License", "Your TotalAV Subscription Has Expired", and "McAfee - Your Computer Is Severely Damaged" are just a couple examples of ones akin to "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses".

Promoting software or other content is not the only purpose of Internet schemes. They can also be used to trick victims into sending money to scammers, disclosing private information, calling fake helplines, allowing cyber criminals to access devices remotely, etc.

Despite the varied appearance and modus operandi of online scams, their end goal is the same – generate revenue at victims' expense.

How did I open a scam website?

Scam websites can be accessed via redirects generated by pages using rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, spam browser notifications, mistyped URLs, and installed adware. Online scams are also promoted through other types of spam (e.g., emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, social media/ forum posts, etc.).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

We highly recommend being careful while browsing since fraudulent and hazardous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless. For example, despite their innocuous appearance – intrusive advertisements and spam browser notifications redirect to questionable webpages (e.g., scam-promoting, gambling, pornography, etc.).

It is important to pay attention to URLs and type them carefully. Suspicious pages must not be permitted to deliver browser notifications; these requests have to be ignored or denied (i.e., by pressing "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

We advise against using websites that offer pirated programs/media or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages are typically monetized through rogue advertising networks.

Incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages must be approached with caution. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful/virulent.

It is essential to download from official/verified sources and treat installations with care (e.g., read the terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, etc.) – to prevent bundled/malicious software from infiltrating the system.

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 "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" pop-up:

AVG

Your PC is infected with 18 viruses!

IMMEDIATE ACTION IS REQUIRED!

Viruses found on this PC most likely track internet activity to collect banking details and login credentials.

Please renew subscription to keep your PC protected.

[Renew Antivirus Subscription]

Unprotected PCs are 93% more vulnerable to suffer from malware.

The appearance of "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" 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 "AVG - Your PC Is Infected With 18 Viruses" 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?

"Pop-up scam" refers to a type of online scam that utilizes pop-up windows. These schemes are intended to deceive users into performing specific actions, e.g., downloading/installing software, purchasing products, subscribing to services, calling fake support lines, permitting scammers to access computers remotely, making monetary transactions, disclosing sensitive information, etc.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Pop-up scams are designed to generate revenue for scammers. They may profit by endorsing content (e.g., websites, products, services, software, etc.), acquiring funds through deception, abusing/selling private data, and spreading malware.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are primarily promoted via webpages using rogue advertising networks, malvertising (intrusive ads), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), spam (e.g., browser notifications, social media posts, emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, etc.), and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited sites and detect ones that host deceptive/malicious content. Hence, if you stumble upon such a webpage – you will be warned immediately, and further access to it will be denied.

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