Protection from Security Software Scams a.k.a “Scareware”

Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that a U.S. district court, at the FTC’s request, issued a temporary halt to security software scams by a group of con artists that “tricked more than one million consumers into buying computer security products such as WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner, ErrorSafe, and XP Antivirus.”

Also known as “scareware,” security software scams are a particularlyinsidious type of fraud because the swindlers prey on people who are trying to do the right thing: protect their computers and themselves from viruses and spyware.

Different Types of Security Software Scams

1.    Con artists advertise and sell useless or even malicious anti-virus or anti-spyware software to consumers who think they will be better protected once they download it. In fact, in most cases the software does nothing to protect the buyer and may even make the individual and their computer vulnerable to hacking, identity theft, and other types of cybercrime.

2.    A ruse that scammers often use is the “free scan.” By providing the unsuspecting consumer with a “free scan” of the PC and presenting “false positives” on a PC that is really virus-free, they can get the victim to purchase software they don’t need and/or that does nothing to improve the situation.

3.    Another trick that scammers use to gain access to an individual’s PC is to have malicious software (malware) surreptitiously downloaded along with a “free” screen saver, music, games, or movies from a file-sharing site. Then the bad, piggybacked program will start to wreck havoc within the victim’s computer. The truly evil element of this scam follows when the malware begins to present the victim with offers to fix the very problem it created-for a fee, of course. The amount demanded varies but can be as much as $50 to $100.

The Marketing of Fake Security Software

The marketing of fake security is deceptive as well. Many of the advertisements imply or make outright lies about what their products do. Often the names of these rogue products sound or look very similar to well-known anti-virus and anti-spyware products from major security software companies.

Another disreputable marketing tactic used by the scammers is to brand their ads and web pages with unsubstantiated claims like “Number One Protection against Spyware” and “100 Percent Guaranteed Safe and Secure.”

Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim

1.      Get a referral or a recommendation from someone you know and trust and who is savvy regarding computer and Internet security software.

2.      Do some research by using the Internet to investigate software companies and their reputation before purchasing software. There are many online sources like bulletin boards and blogs with information and warnings.

3.      Be careful responding to pop-up ads.

4.      Be smart and stick with the major, well-known, and respected security software providers like McAfee^®.

5.      Use McAfee SiteAdvisor^®-a free Web site rating tool-to determine if the site is a safe for downloading “free” software.