Billing & Account Support

Scareware 

Scareware are software programs designed to cause users concern and / or trick them into purchasing software that they do not need. Scareware could be used for installing malicious software or as a harmless prank, without actually doing any damage to the user’s system.

Fake Anti-virus Software / Antivirus 2010-2011 

A common type of scareware is fake anti-virus software, such as Antivirus 2010 - 2011, in which the user encounters a pop-up warning them that they are infected with a dangerous computer virus and need to scan their system immediately. If the user clicks OK, or anything other than the Escape key, the fake virus scanner will appear to scan the user’s system. At the end of the scan, it will confirm that the user is infected and offer to provide them with removal software for a fee. 

In most cases, the user may not actually be infected and the supposed anti-virus software they paid for is of no benefit to the user’s system or it is actually a Trojan, spyware, or other form of malicious software. 

Removing Fake Anti-virus Software 

Once these applications are installed, they can be difficult to completely remove. Some fake anti-virus software might actually allow you to remove them through your Windows Control Panel (Add / Remove Programs). However, a piece of the application may still remain on your system. The remaining software could be dangerous spyware, such as a keylogger, which records all of the user’s keystrokes. 

While re-imaging is probably the most effective way to remove such malicious software, there are a number of legitimate anti-virus, security suites, and removal tools that might be able to restore your system to a more secure state of operation. If you are not familiar or comfortable performing any of the following suggested tasks, you should consult a trained professional. 

If you already have anti-virus software installed, make sure you have the latest updates then reboot your system in Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, run a full scan. 

There are some free virus removal tools that you can run on your system, even if you already have anti-virus software installed. These tools might be able to detect viruses that your current anti-virus is unable to detect, either due to a lack of a signature update or damage from the virus itself.

• Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
• Norton Power Eraser
• Microsoft Security Essentials
• Malware Bytes
• Super Anti-Spyware

Cox does not endorse or support these products. These are only references to available products to help clean your machine. Support for these programs is handled by the respective software manufacturer.