Safewinodws.com ads (scam) - Free Instructions

What is Safewinodws.com ads?

Safewinodws.com shows fake security alerts to make people download potentially dangerous software

Safewinodws.com is a malicious website that imitates security software scans

Safewinodws.com is a website that malicious actors use for their own financial advantage at the expense of user safety. They attempt to mislead users by showing them a fake security warning, which claims that their computer has been infected with high-risk viruses. In order to allegedly remediate the situation, crooks are offering to download suggested security software, usually Norton or McAfee – brands that are established and trustworthy. However, there is no guarantee that the versions of the apps promoted via a scam website are genuine or even secure.

The main goal of the people behind the Safewinodws.com scam is to make visitors frightened about their computer security and profit from their downloads/installations. As mentioned, the promoted software might not originate from the official websites, hence it might be a fake version of otherwise trustworthy apps. Downloading and installing software from websites that use phishing as their primary marketing method might result in malware infections and other issues.

If you have accidentally encountered the site and are not sure what to do about it, do not worry, as we provide all the needed information on how to deal with it properly. The main goal is not to panic, as all the information shown within the message is fake, hence you can immediately discard it. However, it is also important to note that users who have adware installed on their devices are more likely to encounter scam content online, so we strongly recommend checking this aspect as well.

Safewinodws.com is not a unique website – there are plenty of others (e.g., Kn33-m3dicin3.xyz, B-cdn.net) that attempt to mislead users to download software with the help of scare tactics. Upon website entry, some users might be frightened by what seems to be a security software scan. After a brief few seconds, users would then be presented with alleged results of the scan, where several infections with real or fake malware names would be indicated – the message reads as follows (may vary):

Your PC is infected with 5 viruses!

ACTION REQUIRED

Your McAfee Subscription Has Expired!
Renew now to keep your PC protected.
If your PC is unprotected, it is at risk for viruses and other malware.

Since the scam authors use reputable security software providers' names, some people might believe that the statement is true. However, it does not take long to see the deception once more is known about the Safewinodws.com scam.

First of all, no party, be it legitimate or not, can identify whether or not you have certain software installed on your system, malware included. It is true that some information might be read, such as an IP address^[1] or browser type/version, but not more than that.

Safewinodws.com might offer fake versions of security software

Thus, every time you see a message which claims your device is infected, ignore it because the only goal of it is to somehow get benefits from the scam – information, clicks, downloads, etc., can all benefit the crooks. Always check the website URL that shows questionable statements, and always visit the official websites if in doubt.

Find and remove unwanted/malicious software

In general terms, you are more likely to encounter malicious websites when visiting high-risk places, such as software cracks or torrents sites. These are commonly booby-trapped with fake “Download” buttons and malicious scripts;^[2] thus, users can be taken to Safewinodws.com or a similar fake website without even doing anything.

However, in some cases, the adware can also be responsible for redirects to scam, phishing, malware-laden, and other dangerous websites. Adware commonly uses insecure advertisement networks, which results in it producing unsafe links and ads – this is one of the main reasons it should be uninstalled as soon as possible.

The easiest way to do so is by scanning your system with SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, or another powerful security tool. To be even more thorough, you can also perform manual checks as explained below, although if an anti-malware scam revealed no detections, you are mostly safe in the broad term.

Windows

• Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
• Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
• From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
• Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
• If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
• Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Mac

While moving apps into Trash is usually how you delete most normal applications, adware tends to create additional files for persistence. Thus, you should look for .plist and other files that could be related to the virus. If you are not sure, skip this step entirely.

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

Next, you should start by removing all the browser extensions that you don't recognize. Adware is known to take up a form of extension, as it takes fewer resources to make, and also makes the rebrand possibility implementable. Therefore, it is strongly recommended you access the list of the installed extensions/addons and look for anything suspicious – adware often disguises itself as “Improved search” or “Privacy search” keywords, although it can vary greatly (for example, there are plenty of fake ad-blockers out there that insert their own ads after infiltration).

The easiest way to do so is by checking the “Extensions” button to the right of the URL bar, next to the profile/settings menu. You can also get rid of extensions by accessing the settings menu and then choosing the extensions option. Note that even extensions you have trusted for a while might start acting badly – it usually happens due to a sale by the owner.

The aftermath

Once you are sure that your computer is free from potentially unwanted applications and malware, you should use adequate measures to avoid being scammed online. First of all, we recommend using a trustworthy security program that would prevent the infiltration of malware, as well as most PUPs. Additional tools, such as ad-blockers, firewalls,^[3] VPNs, can all help when it comes to online privacy and security as well. These tools mean nothing if you bypass their warnings though, so keep that in mind.

If you have been tricked by a scam where you entered a password, you use it somewhere else, immediately change it on all your accounts. You should never reuse passwords, as it is one of the main reasons why so many people get their personal accounts stolen. Likewise, if you have paid for any unsolicited software or fake tech support services, contact your bank and explain the situation – sometimes, these payments might be reverted.

Finally, we recommend cleaning browser caches in order to ensure that PUP authors and other third parties are no longer tracking you with the help of cookies, web beacons, and other elements that are stored locally within caches. To do that, you can either refer to the instructions below or employ FortectIntego utility, which can clean all the leftover files, browser caches, remediate the registry, and overall fix malware-related and unrelated computer problems.

Google 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.

Mozilla Firefox

• Click Menu and pick Options.
• Go to Privacy & Security section.
• Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
• Click on Clear Data…
• Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.

MS Edge (Chromium)

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

Safari

• Click Safari > Clear History…
• From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
• Confirm with Clear History.