WinAntiVirus Scareware Purveyors Shut Down
Thursday, December 11, 2008
A few months ago I wrote an article in which I mentioned the insidious WinAntiVirus, a phony antivirus program that scams you out of your credit card number and leaves you with an unprotected machine. A federal judge recently shut down two firms alleged to have participated in the spread of this and other fake computer security software, sometimes called "scareware" because it tries to frighten you into installing it.
It's vital that you know what antivirus program you use, and more importantly, that it is legitimate. Do NOT rely on web pop-ups that tell you you're at risk; many of them are bogus. For reliable antivirus, try one of the tools listed under my Windows Help sidebar, such as Trend Micro or the excellent and free AVG.
And don't forget the four legs of our computer security chair: you also need antispyware software and a firewall, and to keep current on your system updates.
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Posted byTriona Guidry at 1:09 PM
Labels: antivirus, scams, windows