So whenever the topic of scams comes up. I always say “A real antivirus alert will never force you to call an 800 number to fix the threat”
and I’ll often include some information about the way an antivirus program will behave too.
“A real antivirus is either going to pop up in the corner to tell you it caught something or it will pop up with a thing for you to click to get rid of the threat. After you do that, that will be the end of it. SOMETIMES an antivirus program will want you to restart the computer to get rid of the threat, but after that the virus will be gone”
When talking about a paid antivirus program, include information about the way a paid antivirus program will behave. Especially when it runs out of time on the subscription.
“A legitimate paid antivirus program will simply pop up with a notification, telling you your subscription ran out and sometimes it will offer you a reduced price if you renew then and there.”
I urge you all to tell all of your friends about these kinds of scams off screen and on social media. Especially your elderly friends and family.
Any kind of scam showcased here or on youtube or twitch by someone calling them on purpose. Introduce your friends to the scambaiting youtube&twitch channels you watch. Introduce your friends to this website.
We will never be able to make it all stop, but we can dull it down so that fewer people will be mislead when they get a fake popup or a call from a scam call center.
Thankyou for reading this.