I thought I was safe from hacking attempts with Webroot, etc. I was wrong.

My Morning’s Unexpected Battle with a Fake Virus Alert

This morning started innocently enough: coffee, some quick emails, and an adorable video of a man living his best life in a sprinter van with his three happy dogs. Just as I was settling into the heartwarming story, an ad popped up with the usual “Allow” or “Deny” prompt. For reasons I still can’t quite explain — curiosity, boredom, or sheer recklessness — I clicked “Allow.”

Big mistake.

Immediately, my screen was hijacked by a fake “Microsoft error” message blaring: “Your computer has been shut down due to a suspected virus. Call this number immediately!” A robotic voice added to the chaos, commanding me to leave my computer alone.

I was in shaky terror, but thankfully it was less worrisome than it could have been, as I was wanting to buy a new computer anyway.

Luckily for me, my tech-savvy instincts kicked in. Years of working with computers taught me to recognize these scams. The attackers’ tactics might scare the average person into calling their fake…