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FTC Kills Scareware Scam That Duped Over 1M Users
coondoggie writes "The Federal Trade Commission today got a court to at least temporarily halt a massive 'scareware' scheme, which falsely claimed that scans had detected viruses, spyware, and pornography on consumers' computers.
According to the FTC, the scheme has tricked more than one million consumers into buying computer security products such as WinFixer, WinAntivirus, DriveCleaner, ErrorSafe, and XP Antivirus. The court also froze the assets of Innovative Marketing, Inc. and ByteHosting Internet Services, LLC to preserve the possibility of providing consumers with monetary redress, the FTC stated."
Click here to fix it, we promise.
You've got a virus!
Pay me or I won't tell you what it is!
The sad thing is that people fall for it.
I've actually had the following conversation:
"What antivirus program was that?"
"Oh let me see here... [Horrible Trendy Name]"
"When did you install it?"
"I don't know."
I told him to call his credit card issuer.
Though, as if that's not enough, my neighbor recently couldn't understand how a dialog that, after analyzing basically indicated his computer was "too secure" wasn't a bad thing.
Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
Sure these might just be "scamware"... but I beat them at their own game by installing all 5 of the mentioned programs. The combined power is sure to be effective even if one alone is not!
Finally! We usually have to get someone sentenced on trumped-up charges to get our weekly execution, because nobody ever responds to the call for volunteers.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I believe this is called Windows Live OneCare, right?
That's because the Linux community has collectively decided that *you* don't deserve to run it, so we put in special code to keep you off the 'net. It's better for everybody this way.
You mean there's anti-virus software that will find pornography on my computer? Will it show it to me as well? :D