5 Easy Tips to Spot Fake Virus Warnings

Fake virus alerts prey on your fear and urgency – but they're not hard to spot. Luckily, there are some simple ways to spot fake virus alerts, keeping you calm and avoiding falling victim to scammers.

5. Warnings from antivirus software you don't own

While surfing the Internet , you visit a website and are suddenly attacked by a pop-up window. In fact, it appears to be legitimate antivirus software, such as Norton AntiVirus Plus or Bitdefender, warning you about a virus on your computer!

But it's a scam. Don't fall for it, even if it's from an antivirus program you know you have. Here's the thing: Your antivirus doesn't give you that kind of warning. Instead, you get a notification that looks like the one Windows sends to your system tray. Or, in the case of iOS, you don't get any system notification about the virus at all.

In case you are someone who does not have an antivirus software – as Windows 11 has built-in protection – it is best to ignore such pop-ups and leave the site.

4. Virus warnings require you to take immediate action

Viruses love to try to trick you by flashing big red warnings and asking you to take immediate action because your data is at risk. They are all scams. There are a lot of exclamation points in those fake virus warnings.

The purpose of these cleverly disguised viruses is to make you feel urgent. 'DANGER THREAT' and 'Your computer is infected with a dangerous virus!' are some of the most common examples. And the writing is almost always bad, even with spelling errors.

Windows usually takes a few minutes to scan your computer, so it's hard to believe that a random website will detect a virus in just a few seconds. If something is alerting you to a virus, it's probably your anti-virus software.

3. You are asked to pay to remove the virus

If you are asked to pay to remove a virus, there is a good chance you have a real virus. There are a few reasons why this is true. First, that is not how antivirus software makes money. Pick a popular antivirus software at random and there is a good chance it has a free trial.

Second, antivirus software will stop its features and functions if you haven't paid for your subscription. It won't even bother scanning for malware. And finally, the 'results' these programs give you are completely fake. If you hand over your credit card information, your bank account will be emptied and your computer will actually be full of malware and viruses.

Antivirus software will never charge money for virus protection. At most, legitimate software will offer better protection through a subscription.

2. Don't fall for the computer freezing trick

It's easy to spot a virus that's masquerading as software you don't own or that's misspelled, but it can also damage your computer in some way. For example, it might open a second browser and prevent you from closing it. Or worse, it might block you from doing anything. That's a good sign that a virus is trying to trick you.

You are not infected with a virus at the moment. If you can't get rid of it, you can always use CTRL + ALT + DELETE . If that doesn't work, just restart your computer , but you should boot into Safe Mode . From there, you can safely run a virus scan to make sure your computer is safe. If you don't want to pay, there are several free virus scanners online !

1. Ask you to call

Some viruses try to contact you by phone, such as those that prompt you to pay money. Others include a toll-free number that you are asked to call immediately (with lots of exclamation points and misspellings). Any mention of needing to contact technical support is also a red flag for a scam.

Basically, the goal is to get you to call so they can get your personal information. For example, someone called to talk about your modem, saying it needed to be reset due to a breach. When you asked if this showed up on your account, they hung up.

Viruses can be really tricky, but knowing the signs will help you. Even with all these tips, you should still use antivirus software, especially since many free ones, like Malwarebytes, also have paid options.

Micah Soto

Update 28 May 2025