Fake virus alerts are some of the most annoying pop ups that can raid your computer and make it unusable in most cases. These are usually part of a scam that tries to make you believe that your computer is infected and have you buy the fake solution (usually a fake anti-virus program) that the scam artist is selling. The best thing to do in this case is not to panic and keep your credit card tucked away. If you already bought into the scam and tried to purchase the fake anti-virus with your debit or credit card, call your bank as soon as possible to have the card cancelled.

How do these infections get on your computer to begin with even when you have a real anti-virus? They do that by tricking the user. You could be surfing the web and next thing you know this thing pops up and it looks like its scanning your computer. What you see is in fact an infected website that is made to look like a desktop or something like that. The fake scan may ask you to click on something to “remove” the “infections” found. That is where the danger is!

If you click “remove,” the real infection can then bypass your real anti-virus and take over your computer. The smart thing to do when you see such malware (malicious software) is to close the browser and fire up your real anti-virus. If nothing came through, a quick scan can do the trick. It may also help to clear the cookies from your browser. But make sure that you remember the log in information for all your favorite sites if you usually logged in automatically. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to reset passwords for your favorite sites which could be a hassle.

In summary, if you are browsing the internet and a random scan pops up from an anti-virus that you don’t recognize or that you have not installed on your computer – exit that site, don’t click anything! If you see the pop ups showing up on your desktop while you are not on the internet that means its too late to prevent the infection. Try running your real virus removal or see a computer specialist that knows how to remove tough infections. It helps to know how to prevent infections from getting on your computer. I hope this article gave you some useful ideas on how to prevent trick infections from getting on your computer. For more information, check out this article from msnbc.com about how to avoid nasty fake antivirus scams.