McAfee pop-up scam is running rampant, be careful

McAfee antivirus is one of the most popular antivirus software offerings out there. With that in mind, someone created a scam that is using McAfee as a front, a pop-up scam, if you will.

This malicious software pops up while people are using their computers, and claims that your device is infected. On top of that, it claims that your McAfee subscription has expired.

McAfee pop-up scam is making the rounds, be careful

Now, many of you will probably think to yourself, well, I never had a McAfee subscription. Or you’ll be aware when your subscription ends. That’s true, but it may trick some people, as many people get scared when they see something like that.

This scam seems to be pretty good, though, in terms of design. That, plus it uses fear to get people to do things they’re not supposed to. This scam is basically trying to get you to provide a bunch of your information to threat actors.

The whole point here is, of course, for them to get your credit card information. Considering this is a subscription service we’re talking about, unaware people could be persuaded to provide such information.

This particular scam seems to be a bit more advanced than just a simple ad

This may not seem like a special scam, as we see such scams that arrive via ads all the time. The thing is, this one, in particular, seems to be a bit more advanced. Based on the information provided by Fox News, this is not coming from an ad, but from a “malicious file that has integrated itself into your browser and is displaying images that look like pop-ups”.

The source doesn’t seem to be too sure what to do exactly, with this particular problem, but there are a number of suggestions mentioned. Let’s just go over them, as they’re quite different in nature.

Clearing your cache & checking your extensions should do the trick

The first one is to shut down your browser, as that does the trick sometimes if you’re on a suspicious website that triggered the problem. Clearing cache sometimes helps too, as does taking a look at your extensions. Some Chrome extensions can be infected and start throwing such scams your way.

You should always report such scams to Google, or some other internet browser provider you’re using. Most importantly, you should remain calm when you see such pop-ups. They’re usually scams, and if you calm down and just focus on what’s on the screen, you’ll likely be able to tell whether it’s real or fake.