How to Remove “Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus” Scam (Adware/Tech Support Scam)

What is “Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus”?

“Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus” is another scam alert on the loose generated by a malicious website. Most users come across these kinds of website inadvertently – they are redirected by potentially unwanted programs or PUPs that stealthily infiltrates computer system without any permission. And there is no doubt that this scam alert is another product of a potentially unwanted program. so if you are one of the users who keeps on getting redirected to these kinds of websites, then it is possible that there is an unwanted program or two installed in your computer.
This fake error message claims that the system has been infected with malware. It also states that personal information such as Facebook login credentials, credit card details, etc. has been stolen and that the virus must be removed immediately. And you are given at least five minutes to contact the so-called “certified technicians” through a telephone number (+61-1800-431-245). And if you failed to call them, the computer will be permanently disabled. These so-called technicians will supposedly guide you in the malware removal process. Here’s the complete context of the scam alert:
“Warning: Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus On Your System!! Call for support: +61-1800-431-245 (Toll Free)
YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN BLOCKED
Your computer has alerted us that it has been infected with a virus and spyware. The following information is being stolen:
Facebook Login
Credit Card Details
Email Account Login
Photos stored on this computer
Your must contact us immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process over the phone. Please call us within the next 5 minutes to prevent your computer from being disabled.
Call: +61-1800-431-245”
Keep in mind that all of these are a bull of crap and it is nothing but a scam to get you to contact the crooks behind this fake alert. It is very much clear that it aims to extort money from unsuspecting users by tricking them into paying for the technical support they supposedly render. So if you encounter this scam alert, it is best to ignore it and remove the unwanted program that triggered this alert.
The internet is a jungle full of malicious websites displaying fake errors similar to this one. All of this with the same goal of deceiving users to extort money for a tech support service which isn’t required. In fact it’s not even determined if they’re really doing something about the problem. Or worse they could use this opportunity to gain remote access to your computer causing even bigger problems. Before it reaches that point, make sure that you remove the PUP behind it as soon as you can.

How does this scam alert circulate online?

As pointed out earlier, this scam alert gets to circulate online because of a PUP installed in the computer. These PUPs are usually advertised online on shady websites. Not only that but you could also get infected with a PUP when you carelessly install a software bundle from free sharing sites. Installing software bundles must be done through the Advanced or Custom installation setup to avoid getting PUPs in your computer.
Remove the PUP behind the “Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus” scam by following the instructions below.
Step 1: Open Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc at the same time.

Step 2: Go to the Processes tab and look for any suspicious processes.

Step 3: Right-click on the files, click Open File Location and then scan them using a reputable antivirus program such as SpyRemover Pro. After opening their folders, end their processes and delete their folders. If the virus scanner fails to detect something that you know is suspicious, don’t hesitate to delete it.
Step 4: Open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Look for any suspicious program and then Uninstall it.

Step 5: Open the File Explorer by holding down Windows + E keys simultaneously.
Step 6: Go to the directories listed below and delete everything in it. Or other directories you might have saved the file or the software bundle related to the “Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus” Scam.

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

Step 7: Look for any suspicious executable file that could be related to the scam.
Step 8: Right-click on it and click Delete and then exit the File Explorer.
Step 9: Empty your Recycle Bin.
Step 10: Reset all your browsers to default.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for AnytimeAstrology Toolbar or any unwanted add-on, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

To ensure the removal of “Warning Windows Has Detected a Malicious Virus” Scam and the PUP behind it, follow the advanced steps below:
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
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.

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

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in Apollolocker http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between Apollolocker and http. Click OK.

A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Apollolocker. Click Run to begin downloading SpyRemover Pro. Installation will start automatically once download is done.