The defendants’ scheme also involves pop-up computer advertisements disguised as security alerts, falsely telling consumers that their computers were infected with viruses and at risk of irreversible damage, The alert also falsely tells consumers that their computers need to be scanned/cleaned to prevent further damage to its system.
These pop-up messages were often presented as if coming from reputable tech companies such as Apple or Microsoft and included a “Scan Now” or “Proceed” button, which implies allowing the unsuspecting consumers to initiate a computer scan or clean up. After clicking the button, consumers receive an additional message falsely claiming that the computer was infected with multiple viruses and instructing them to download software to resolve the problem. After that, the victim will get another pop-up message or the downloaded software package provides a toll-free number to contact a live agent to fix the purported problems.
A telemarketer in India receives the call, pretends to be affiliated with Apple or Microsoft, and then asks permission to access the computer remotely to diagnose the purported problem. The telemarketer then falsely confirms that the computer has a virus, persuades the consumer to buy security software or a technical-support plan that costs hundreds of dollars.
