What is Google Chrome Support Centre scam? And how does it work?

Google Chrome Support Centre scam is yet another fake alert that belongs to the category of tech support scams. This scam is pretending to be an alert from Google that tricks users into thinking that a “Porn Virus has been detected by firewall” by Google Chrome Support Centre. However, you should know better than to believe this alert as it only a ploy to get you into calling the number provided in the scam.
Like other scam alerts, the Google Chrome Support Centre scam is displayed on sites with malicious domains. You can get redirected to such sites when you click on some misleading ad or when an ad-supported program is installed on your computer. The instant you get redirect to such site, you will see the following message on your screen:
“Please call Google Support Centre Immediately at +61-1800-875-384
A Porn Virus has been detected by a firewall.
Do not press any key or ignore this critical alert.
Your computer access is disabled for security reasons and to prevent further damage to your device. Call right now +61-1800-875-384 to Google Technical Support immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal of this porn virus over the phone. Call Right Now at Google Technical Support TOLL-FREE NO:- +61-1800-875-384”
You should know that Google does not provide any kind of technical support for the Windows operating system so this should ring some warning bells. A few moments after the fake alert appears another pop-up will be displayed saying that the application has crashed:
“Application.exe has stopped working
Windows can check online for a solution to the problem.
Check online for a solution and close the program.
Close the program.
Call Toll Free: +61-1800-875-384
Login Failed. Computer Locked. Call Support at +61-1800-875-384”
Both of these alerts are fake ones so you should not call the number provided in this scam as you will only be talking to scammers that will trick you into paying a hefty amount for an unnecessary service or install some malicious software. You could also end up exposing your credit card details to these crooks and will be at risk of losing more money.
How does Google Chrome Support Centre scam circulate online?
As pointed out, the Google Chrome Support Centre scam circulates the web via misleading ads. This scam is also triggered by some ad-supported program installed in your computer. Adware programs are distributed via software bundles found on free sharing sites where it is added as one of the optional components. To avoid installing these add-ons, you must use the Custom or Advanced setup in installing these kinds of the software package.
To delete Google Chrome Support Centre scam from your computer, follow the given steps below.
Step 1: If the browser displaying the Google Chrome Support Centre bogus alert is forced into full-screen mode, tap F11 to exit your browser.
Step 2: After that, try to close the browser manually. If you find it hard to do so, close the browser through the Task Manager.
Step 3: Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to launch the Task Manager.
Step 4: Once you’ve pulled up the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the affected browser’s process and end it by clicking End Task or End Process.

Step 5: Close the Task Manager and tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Control Panel to uninstall the adware program behind the fake alert.
Step 6: Look for the adware program or any unfamiliar program under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

Step 7: Close the Control Panel and tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for the adware installer like the software bundle it came with as well as other suspicious files and delete them.

• %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
• %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
• %TEMP%

Step 9: Close the File Explorer and empty your Recycle Bin.
Step 10: Reset all your browsers to default.
Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
2. Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
3. Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
4. Click OK to save the changes.
5. Now switch to the Advanced tab and click the Reset button.
6. Then check the box for “Delete personal settings” and then click Reset again.

Google Chrome

1. Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
2. Look for any unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
3. Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
4. Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
5. Click on Advanced.
6. After that, click the Reset button to reset Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
2. In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
3. Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
4. Select Options and then move to the General menu.
5. Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section.
6. Tap Alt + H to access Help.
7. Next, select “Troubleshooting information” and click “Refresh Firefox” at the top of the page.
8. Now click “Refresh Firefox” again to confirm the reset.

To make sure that you’ve successfully gotten rid of Google Chrome Support Centre scam as well as the adware program behind it, you need to use an efficient program like [product-name]. To use it, follow the advanced steps below:
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
2. After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

3. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
4. Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
5. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

6. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
7. Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
8. After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
9. Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.

10. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now”button.