Fake system errors is a technique being used by hackers to fool you into buying rouge virus software and downloading unwanted spyware / viruses.  I myself have been fooled by these new techniques that mimic windows system dialog boxes.  The boxes do not look like normal pop-ups making you think that it is a legit popup invoked by your windows operating system when it is actually spyware or a virus that tricks you into thinking something is wrong when there really isn’t.

I have encountered this fake system error a few times.  The first time I got infected with the virus/spyware on a computer running Macafee Anti Virus.  I do not recommend Macafe at all and not just because of this one instance.  The research I have seen tells me that Macafe is not up to par in the detection and deletion of rouge viruses.  However, I was able to fix it with Anti-malware Bytes.  At a later date I encountered it again, but this time I was on a different computer which was protected by Bit defender.  Bit defender caught the false popup and deleted the virus.  This gave me a little pride in knowing that I picked good software to protect my computer.

You don't need virus software to keep your computer from getting infected from this threat in most instances.  You just need to know and understand the pop-ups you receive.  Take a look at the pictures in this article to get an idea of what these pop-up screens can look like.  If you get one of these pop-ups or something similar you need to close it out by closing the popup immediately.  Do Not Press Yes.  Click the “X” in the upper right hand corner.  After that it may redirect your browser to another page, so to be safe close your browser immediately.  Before shutting down or restarting your computer you should scan your computer with your virus software.

You can find several decent free virus scanners that are suitable for most home users.  Although if you have sensitive information on your pc or frequently browse 1000’s of websites a week you may want to think about looking for a commercial alternative to free virus scanners.  Commercial scanners are updated more frequently and can catch newer viruses better than a free scanner.  Free virus scanners are usually not updated with new virus definitions as often as commercial ones.  But if you don't have the money or just don't want to spend money on a commercial version a free virus security program will work fine for you in most situations.

For those of you who are more concerned with your computers security you may want to shell out the extra money to buy a commercial virus scanner.  Right now I use Bit-Defender, but you may like Kaspersky or Nod32 better.  These are the only ones I would recommend to anyone based upon user reviews, security experts and my own testing.  I also would suggest purchasing the full security suite and not just the virus scanner.  A full security suit will ensure you are protected in all areas with-out downloading or buying other software.

If you ever encounter these popups please create a screenshot and send them to us here at SocialRoast.com.  You can post them into the forum or send it by email.

To capture a screenshot all you need to do is press the Print Screen Button on your keyboard.  Then open up Microsoft Paint.  Then select paste through the menu or by rich clicking and selecting paste.  Or by pressing Ctrl + V on the keyboard.  Save the file and email it to us or post to the forum.  We will then include your picture in this article or another.