Phishing — Pop Ups

If you have any questions about a specific alert or need help, Recognizing Financial Phishing Scams

| Type | What It Says | Goal | |------|--------------|------| | | “5 viruses found! Click to clean.” | Get you to install malware or pay for fake software | | Account verification | “Your session expired. Re-enter password.” | Steal login credentials | | Prize/winnings | “You’ve won a free iPhone! Claim now.” | Collect personal data or payment info | | Tech support scam | “Critical error. Call Microsoft at 1-888-…” | Charge for unnecessary “repairs” or remote access | | Browser lock | “Your browser has been locked. Call this number.” | Extortion or remote takeover |

These proclaim you are the "1,000th visitor" or a lucky winner selected by your ISP to receive a high-end gadget. To claim the prize, you are asked to fill out a short survey and pay a nominal $1 shipping fee. The shipping form is actually a credit card harvesting tool. Technical Mechanics: How They Get on Your Screen

Use built-in browser pop-up blockers or reputable ad-blocking extensions to prevent these messages from appearing in the first place [5.8, 5.21]. browser extensions phishing pop ups

Software companies do not demand immediate retail payment via pop-ups to clear a virus threat. Step-by-Step Guide: What to Do If a Phishing Pop-Up Appears

If a highly aggressive pop-up takes over your screen, . Your computer is usually not compromised yet; the script is simply waiting for you to interact with it. Follow these steps to safely clear it:

Phishing pop-ups can take various forms, including: If you have any questions about a specific

Look closely at any visible web addresses. If a "Microsoft" alert is hosted on a domain like xyz-security-alert-free.biz , it is fake. Additionally, cybercriminals frequently operate internationally and often leave spelling mistakes, awkward phrasing, or improper capitalization in their text. What to Do If a Phishing Pop-Up Appears

Once you interact with the pop-up (clicking “OK”, “Renew”, “Verify”, or a fake “X” close button), several things can happen:

These pop-ups claim that your browser is outdated or that you need a specific video codec to watch a video on the page. Clicking "Install" downloads malicious browser extensions that track your keystrokes or redirect your search queries to ad networks. How Phishing Pop-Ups Land on Your Screen Claim now

Press Cmd + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit menu. Select your browser and click Force Quit . Clear Your Browser Cache

Turn on Enhanced Safe Browsing in Chrome (or similar in Edge/ Firefox). These features compare sites you visit against real-time lists of known phishing pages. Also consider DNS filtering services like OpenDNS, Cloudflare Gateway, or Quad9, which block malicious domains before the pop-up even loads.