New computer virus posing as anti-virus program

A new computer virus is infecting millions of computers worldwide and it is doing it by posing as anti-virus software.

It is called Personal Antivirus. The fake anti-virus software looks similar to Symantec or other anti-virus software. A warning page pops up saying your computer contains viruses. It pushes you to fix it by installing malware that instead infects your computer with viruses.

“Typically, you get a lot of pop-ups and things of that nature, and if they ask you to pay a fee to remove the viruses, that’s a big, big warning sign, beware if you have to pay a fee to remove viruses,” saidcomputer expert Manny “Papageek” Lloyd.

Lloyd suggests not opening e-mail attachments from people you do not know and run anti-virus software like AVG or Malware Bytes regularly.

Legitimate anti-virus software will let you know when your subscription is about to expire but will not prompt you to sign up.