What Happens If You Leave A Scareware Site Open?

Scareware is a scam that uses web pop-ups to trick you into thinking that your computer has a virus. These websites use fake antivirus scanners and other bogus security warnings to scare PC users into buying their artificial software.

What Happens If You Leave A Scareware Site Open?

• Pop-ups every few minutes with loud sounds.
• Takes up almost all memory.
• After 15 minutes, the computer becomes unbearably slow, and the internet connection becomes unusable.
• Chrome doesn’t work at all! I can’t even open it anymore after leaving the scareware site open for 10 minutes.
• Browser crashes after new windows open.
• CPU usage went up to 35%.
• Internet connection not as responsive as usual (would take more time to load pages and occasionally stop loading pages altogether).
• Cannot open task manager to close the browser as it won’t respond.
• Computers became abnormally slow and unusable.
• You have to restart your machine for it to go back to normal.

Scareware

After clicking the link, multiple windows open up within seconds, often with loud noises and music (usually a techno beat). The first window opens with an urgent security warning saying that the computer has many viruses, spyware, or other security issues.

The popups appear quickly and are often intimidating or aggressive to scare users into buying “antivirus” software.

These programs do not fix anything on your computer, and sometimes they can cause more problems for your PC. Some websites have even used scareware tactics to target smartphones, such as Palm Pilots or Blackberries.

Scareware Site Pen

By now, you’re probably wondering what would happen if someone were to click on one of these sites.

Within half a second of opening this website, twelve windows had already popped up with loud music and sound playing at full blast! The content in each window varies, but mostly all contain aggressive messages to scare users into buying their anti-virus software. 

Each message is designed to look like an official Windows or Apple warning or even like a message from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). There are also fake messages saying suspicious activity performed on your server or even claimed that you are being hacked.

How Does Scareware Work

Scareware is software that displays various fake security alerts, system messages, and popups on your PC in an attempt to trick you into buying their fake or useless software. 

These false warnings state that the user’s computer is infected with viruses, spyware, Trojans, and other malware when no such programs are installed on the machine. The Scareware then prompts the user to download a program that supposedly removes these nonexistent infections from your PC. 

In reality, however, this program usually consists of a simple virus removal guide or some ineffective malware scanner. This technique is also known as scare-advertising.

How To Prevent From Scareware Sites

•  Do not click on any pop-up.
•  Close the browser if you see anything suspicious.
•  Do not revisit any scareware site.
• Install adblocker to prevent pop-ups from appearing on your screen.

Scareware is very annoying, especially when they open large windows that take up most of the computer’s memory and other resources. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid them altogether! 

That means never clicking on a link sent by someone you don’t know because it may be leading you to a scareware site meant for taking over your PC or stealing valuable information like credit card numbers or bank account details which could result in identity theft or a loss of a lot of money. 

Moreover, if you do happen to accidentally land on a page with pop-up ads or links which appear suspicious, close the browser window immediately and make sure you update your antivirus software regularly to protect yourself against future attacks.

How To Close Scareware Site Open

•  Go to the task manager and close the browser.
•  Delete scareware cookies.
• Unplug the computer from the wall for 30 seconds and turn it back on. However, sometimes this does not help as the scareware will keep popping up with loud sounds every few minutes! (Scareware is like a demon that makes itself impossible to kill)
• Restart the computer in safe mode with networking (if using windows).

Conclusion

Scareware sites like these usually only target PC users who use Windows. Still, if you ever come across one that targets smartphone or tablet users, we’d advise closing the site by all means necessary. 

If you wish to remove any files created on your computer due to visiting such a site, make sure you do so with care by downloading detection and removal tools from reliable sources such as reputable anti-virus software companies. There is also Mac antivirus software that can help you do the same for your Apple computer.