Renew Your Antivirus POP-UP Scam

What kind of scam is "Renew Your Antivirus"?

Our researchers discovered this "Renew Your Antivirus" scam while investigating a website that uses rogue advertising networks. It claims that the user's antivirus may have expired on a specific date. Typically, the goal of such scams is to lure victims into downloading/installing, or purchasing software.

Renew Your Antivirus scam

"Renew Your Antivirus" scam overview

The scam states that the user's antivirus software may have expired on the eighth of December (date may vary). The page encourages them to protect themselves from viruses, malware, and identity theft by renewing the antivirus. It offers a special deal – a 70% discount. It must be emphasized that this scam is in no way associated with any legitimate products, services, or entities.

At the time of research, this scam redirected to a site that was down. Keep in mind that this could be rectified. Typically, this type of lure is used by affiliate scams. Scammers seek to obtain illegitimate commissions by abusing the affiliate programs of genuine content (such as antivirus software).

However, these kinds of scams may also endorse unwanted and potentially harmful programs like fake antivirus tools, Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs), adware, browser hijackers, trojans, ransomware, and others – all under the guise of legitimate software. The scams can redirect to phishing sites as well – fraudulent sign-in, purchase, and similar pages that record provided information.

To summarize, by trusting a scam like "Renew Your Antivirus" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

Threat Summary:
Name	"Renew Your Antivirus" pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The antivirus has supposedly expired and a renewal is offered with a 70% discount.
Related Domains	websafetyframework[.]com
Detection Names	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	18.235.21.239
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.

Online scams in general

We have investigated countless online scams; "TotalAV - Security Threat Detected", "Security Checkup In Progress", "McAfee - Your PC Is Transmitting Malicious Files", "Your Device Could Infected With Viruses!", and "WARNING: SYSTEM RESOURCE LEAK" are merely some of our newest articles on ones similar to "Renew Your Antivirus".

The Internet is full of fraudulent and malicious content. Scams can differ significantly in appearance and how they deceive users into performing specific actions, yet the end goal is the same – to generate revenue at the expense of their victims. Deceptive online content can also be convincingly disguised as bearing an association with legitimate entities. Therefore, we advise exercising the utmost caution when browsing.

How did I open a scam website?

We discovered the "Renew Your Antivirus" scam while inspecting websafetyframework[.]com – a page that utilizes rogue advertising networks. Aside from such sites, online scams are commonly promoted via spam (e.g., emails, browser notifications, social media/ forum posts, PMs/DMs, SMSes, robocalls, cold calls, etc.), malvertising (intrusive ads), typosquatting (mistyped URLs), and adware (advertisements/redirects).

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Caution is essential to your online safety. Therefore, be wary of sites, adverts, and messages that urge you to take action against severe threats or make unbelievable promises. Pay attention to URLs and enter them with care.

Do not use websites offering pirated content or other dubious services (e.g., Torrenting, illegal streaming/downloading, etc.), as these webpages typically employ rogue advertising networks. Ignore or block browser notification delivery requests from questionable sites.

Be cautious with incoming emails and other messages; do not open attachments or links found in suspicious mail. Download from official/verified channels and be attentive during installation (e.g., read terms, study options, use "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opt out of supplementary apps, extensions, tools, etc.) – to prevent bundled/hazardous 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 the "Renew Your Antivirus" pop-up:

RENEW YOUR ANTIVIRUS

Your subscription may have expired on December 8, 2025 .

Protect your device from viruses , malware , and identity theft . Renew today to stay secure.

Protect your device now

Special Offer: Up to 70% OFF ( Valid until December 8, 2025 )

Antivirus Total Security: 20.9.139 ( 10 Devices )

8A5B4 RV6N Q8TL OFG3

Renew Now

Appearance of the "Renew Your Antivirus" pop-up scam (GIF):

Appearance of Renew Your Antivirus scam (GIF)

Screenshot of a browser notification (ad) promoting the "Renew Your Antivirus" pop-up scam:

Browser notification endorsing Renew Your Antivirus scam

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.

Quick menu:

What is "Renew Your Antivirus" 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:

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 scams are messages that aim to trick users into performing certain actions. To elaborate, victims can be enticed into downloading/installing software, purchasing products, subscribing to services, calling fake helplines, disclosing sensitive information, sending money to scammers, and so forth.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

The purpose of pop-up scams is to generate revenue for scammers. They primarily profit by promoting content (e.g., websites, products, services, programs, etc.), abusing/selling private data, acquiring funds through deception, and proliferating malware.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by a scam, what should I do?

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are predominantly encountered via webpages using rogue advertising networks, intrusive ads, spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media posts, browser notifications, etc.), misspelled URLs, and adware.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan visited websites and detect rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious pages. It can also deny all further access to these sites.