Fake scam “Windows Support Alert” “Virus alert from Microsoft”

What to do when your PC is “locked up” with the fake scam “Windows Support Alert” “Virus alert from Microsoft” website.

This is a scam website that often comes from advertising on popular websites. This one came from a clickbait “news” article at the bottom of the page of Newsweek.com. I’ve also recently seen it happen on Amazon.com. My client searched for lawn furniture. Just before and just after are malvertising ads for exactly what you searched for, in this case, the ad is for “Amazonia” patio furniture. Very misleading. The malvertising also often has the exact same products as the Amazon results, but for cheaper, enticing you to click. Bastards.

In this case, there’s no real infection, it just throws up a full screen website with scare tactics. Using CTRL+ALT+DEL and using task manager to “End task” on your browser is the way to stop it. Then restart your browser but don’t let it restore the previous tabs you had open.