What is 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam? And how does it work?
1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert is a new kind of tech support scam that was identified recently by security experts. This new scam is almost the same as other tech support scams except it uses a different phone number and displays another pop-up message that has another bogus alert on it. It tries to convince users that a “malicious pornographic spyware/riskware” was detected in the computer and that users have to call the number provided to fix the problem.
If you encounter this scam, you must ignore its deceiving message and close the tab displaying it. However, if you keep getting redirected to the site that’s hosting this tech support scam, then it only means that there is an adware program installed on your computer. Adware programs tend to cause redirects to these kinds of sites. Aside from unwanted redirects to tech support scams like the 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam, this adware also spies on all your online activities and collects browsing-related data like the ads you’ve clicked, websites you frequently visit, browsing history, email address, and other data you send online. Thus, not only adware program cause bogus alerts but it also poses risk to your personal data.
When you get redirected to the site that hosts this alert, you will see the following message on your browser:
“Security Warning:
** Microsoft Warning Alert **
Malicious Pornographic Spyware/Riskware Detected
Please call us immediately at 1-888-729-6918
Do not ignore this critical alert.
If you close this page, your computer access will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.
Your computer has alerted us that it has been infected with Pornographic Spyware and riskware. The following information is being stolen…
> Facebook Logins
> Credit Card Details
> Email Account Logins
> Photos stored on this computer”
This bogus alert is followed by a pop-up which contains another bogus alert stating:
“** Microsoft Warning Alert **
“The server microscftOxBOdeOMusgq is asking for your
username and password. The server reports that it is from
Suspicious activity was detected on your IP address due to
a harmful virus installed on your computer. Call Toll Free now
1-888-729-6918 2 for any assistance. Your data is at a serious
riskThene is a system file missing due to some harmful virus
Debug malware error. system failure. Please contact
technicians to rectify the issue please do not open an internet
browser for your security issue to avoid data corruption on
your operating system. Please contact technicians at ToIIIree
Helpline at @ 1-888-729-6918 (Toll free) PLEASE DO NOT
SHUT DOWN OR RESTART YOUR COMPUTER. DOING THAT
MAY LEAD TO DATA LOSS AND FAILURE OF OPERATING
SYSTEM, HENCE NON BOOTABLE SITUATION RESULTING
COMPLETE DATA LOSS. CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR
DEPARTMENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE ON TOLL-FREE]”
How does 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert Scam circulate the web?
1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam circulates the web using several misleading ads. It is also spread via adware programs that are found on software bundles. They are added as one of the optional components in software bundles. Installing this kind of software package can be quite tricky as you might end up installing not just one, but a lot of programs some of which are unwanted ones. To prevent this from happening, you have to use the Custom or Advanced setup when installing software bundles.
Refer to the given instructions below to delete the 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam from your browser as well as the adware program that’s causing it.
Step_1: Close the tab or the browser displaying the 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam. However, if your browser is forced to go into full-screen mode because of the fake alert, tap F11 on your keyboard to exit full-screen mode.
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: After opening 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 reset all the affected browsers to default.
Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
- After that, click on Settings.
- Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
- After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
- Now restart Google Chrome.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox 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.
- Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
- Then click Internet Options.
- After that, go to the Advanced tab.
- From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
- Now click OK to save the changes made.
- Restart your computer.
Step_6: Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in “appwiz.cpl” to open Programs and Features in Control Panel.
Step_7: From there, look for the adware program or any unfamiliar program that could be related to the 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert scam under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
Step_8: Close the Control Panel and tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
Step_9: 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_10: Edit your Hosts File.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
- Go to System32/drivers/etc.
- Open the hosts file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries that contain Search.watchtvnow.co.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step_11: Now you have to flush the DNS cache of your computer. To do so, right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator). From there, type the “ipconfig /flushdns” command and hit Enter to flush the DNS.
Step_12: Close the File Explorer and empty your Recycle Bin.
Congratulations, you have just removed 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert Scam in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit fixmypcfree.com daily.
Now that’s how you remove 1-888-729-6918 Warning Alert Scam in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below.
