Remove “Threats Detected” Tech support scam (Tutorial)

“Threats Detected” – fake security warning that uses names of legitimate security and IT companies

Screenshot of

“Threats Detected” is a fake security alert that might pop-up on your browser unexpectedly. Considering the content of the alert, it may surprise and even frighten you – which is its main objective. According the fraudulent message, Avast!, McAfee or Norton security programs detected dangerous cyber threats on the system, and the only way to resolve this allegedly difficult situation is by calling tech support helpline.

You should never use the provided phone number and contact the “technicians,” as these people are scammers. In fact, it is impossible for a website to detect whether your device is infected with malware, so you should straight out ignore these messages. Nonetheless, you should also check your system for adware, as it could be the reason why you are being redirected to shady websites on Google Chrome or another web browser.

Name	“Threats Detected” scam
Type	Scam, rogue website, adware
Distribution	You might end up on scam website after clicking a link on another malicious site or adware could be causing these redirects
Operation	The pop-up message claims that the system is infected with malware and users need to contact tech support in order to get rid of it; the scammers often use names of legitimate companies, including Microsoft
Resolution	Close down the tab immediately, do not contact these scammers via the provided phone number, and scan your machine with SpyHunter Combo Cleaner to ensure no parasites are running in the background
Further steps	If you have contacted the crooks, you should change passwords for all your accounts. After malware removal (if such was installed by them), you should also fix damaged system components with Fortect Intego

The message provides technical information about detected threats and copies the interface of the legit security software. Additionally, people are urged to call support immediately and do not try to delete the virus themselves because the computer’s hard drive might fail. The full message of the scam includes the following information:

Microsoft Windows encountered a problem
Action Required
Threats Detected
Threats Detected! Call Toll Free Support: 1-855-615-2468
SYSTEM CRITICALLY INFECTED! CONTACT SUPPORT IMMEDIATLY
DO NOT TRY TO MANUALLY REMOVE THIS VIRUS
HARD DRIVE MIGHT FAIL*
Avast Antivirus alert

Different versions of the tech support scam uses other phone numbers to communicate with users. However, keep in mind that none of these numbers belongs to legit security companies. Thus, you should never call them:

Fake Avast! support line: 1-855-615-2468
Fake McAfee support line: 1-855-378-1203
Fake Norton support line: 1-844-444-9933

Therefore, “Threats Detected” virus belongs to the group of technical support scams that are designed to scare victims. The purpose of this Microsoft scam^[1] is to convince people into calling the toll-free support line. We can assure that these “specialists” won’t help you; instead, they might:

convince you to purchase useless security software;
trick into installing malicious program to the device;
give scammer remote access to your PC;
obtain personally identifiable information, including credit card information.

If you continuously receive the this fake pop-up when browsing the web, you should check if your computer hasn’t been infected with adware. Security specialists from Odstranit Virus^[2] tell that you can suspect infiltration of this potentially unwanted program if you notice increased number of ads everywhere you go, suffer from unexpected browser redirects and you recently installed some type of freeware from the internet.

The quickest way to remove the redirect virus from the system is to run a full system scan with SpyHunter Combo Cleaner or another anti-malware.^[3] Don’t forget to update security software before performing automatic elimination, as only up-to-date tools can delete this cyber threat.

However, you can also follow our prepared manual removal guide and get rid of the adware without additional software, but you have to be careful. If you leave some adware-related entries installed, you might still encounter this fake pop-up. Also, it is very important to clean your web browsers – you can employ Fortect Intego for this job or do it manually as well.

Examples of

Adware programs help scammers to target more Internet users

Fake alerts usually are triggered by adware that may have sneaked inside the PC in a software bundle. We believe that you do not have any idea how this may have happened. However, the situation is simple.

When you install free programs from the Internet, you have to check if you install a single app or a package by choosing Advanced/Custom setup. If you see “optional downloads,” you have to remove the ticks next to them. Meanwhile, Quick/Recommended setup does not have this feature. Thus, if you install freeware using these settings, you might install many undesired apps.

Getting rid of “Threats Detected” support scam

The adware which is responsible for fake security pop-ups should be uninstalled from the system immediately. Keep in mind that if your browsers are vulnerable (i.e., not updated), they might be used to divert you to websites where malicious scripts would download malware automatically without you knowing. Therefore, equip your computer with powerful antivirus software and perform a full system scan. You can also look for PUPs yourself if you desire to – we provide the instructions for that below.

There is more to it if you have already contacted scammers via the phone number. First of all, if they made you pay for anything (usually for some fake security software or for “services” itself), you should contact your bank and explain that you have been scammed – provide as much information as possible, for example, the number you called or how you transferred the money.

You should also change your passwords of all your accounts immediately, as the cybercriminals might have stolen them after gaining access to your PC (if such was provided).

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
Then find On startup section.
Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
Select Details tab.
Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:

Click on Menu and go to Settings.
Select Privacy, search and services.
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Under Time range, pick All time.
Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
On the left side, pick Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values.
Confirm with Reset.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
Select Add-ons.
In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

Click Menu and pick Settings.
Go to Privacy & Security section.
Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
Click on Clear Data...
Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

Click on Menu and pick Settings.
Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:

Click menu and choose Settings.
Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove “Threats Detected” Tech support scam

“Threats Detected” – fake security warning that uses names of legitimate security and IT companies

Adware programs help scammers to target more Internet users