If you think you have a virus, follow the steps below or contact us here.  If you think you were just hacked because you called a scam number by accident then restart your computer to disconnect any running scripts.  Run at least the first 2 cleaners below.  If you want us to take it from here, or fell victim to the pop-up asking you to call Microsoft, shut down your computer and open a ticket with us or call us at 888-530-1772 or 336-338-8932 for guidance.


1. Take a deep breath!  Remember that scammers want fast access to money.  If you gave out your credit card number or bank account number, contact you bank immediately.  Most of the scams going on right now are scare tactics, to get you to call a number to get you to buy a "product or service" and get your money for this fake service.  These people sometimes log on to your computer to act like they are cleaning it up and then charge you.  Some will leave malware to track you, but remember that tracking takes time for them.  So getting your account number means instant payoff.


2. Run Your own virus scan.  Do a complete scan, if prompted.

3. While that's running, download and run Malwarebytes FREE version

4. At this point: There may still be a tracker on your computer in the form of an installed program, an extension in your browser, or another application running in the background. You can use the following cleaners to try to find these, but if you are still concerned, please contact us for help. We have seen a lot of what's out there and can fairly easily detect and remove it.


5. Check for rogue programs and uninstall them

6. Check for extensions and add-ons in your internet browser that look weird and deactivate and delete.

7. Run "sfc /scannow" in an elevated command prompt 

8. Download AdwCleaner by Xplode and save to your Desktop.

  • Double click on AdwCleaner.exe to run the tool.
    Vista/Windows 7/8 users right-click and select Run As Administrator
  • The tool will start to update the database if one is required.
  • Click on the Scan button.
  • AdwCleaner will begin...be patient as the scan may take some time to complete.
  • After the scan has finished, click on the Logfile button.
  • A window will open which lists the logs of your scans.
  • Click on the Scan tab.
  • Double-click the most recent scan which will be at the top of the list....the log will appear.
  • Review the results...see note below
  • After reviewing the log, click on the Clean button.
  • Press OK when asked to close all programs and follow the onscreen prompts.
  • Press OK again to allow AdwCleaner to restart the computer and complete the removal process.
  • After rebooting, a logfile report (AdwCleaner[CX].txt) will open automatically (where the largest value of X represents the most recent report).
  • To open a Cleaning log, launch AdwareClearer, click on the Logfile button, click on the Cleaning tab and double-click the log at the top of the list.
  • Copy and paste the contents of AdwCleaner[CX].txt in your next reply.
  • A copy of all logfiles are saved to C:\AdwCleaner.

-- Note: The contents of the AdwCleaner log file may be confusing. Unless you see a program name or entry that you recognize and know should not be removed, don't worry about it. If you see an entry you want to keep, return to AdwCleaner before cleaning...all detected items will be listed (and checked) in each tab. Click on and uncheck any items you want to keep.


9. Additional Programs include the following:

Note that Hitman Pro and the Kaspersky Tool can be downloaded to another computer, placed on a flash drive and then can be run on the infected computer.

You also may need to reset your browsers to their default settings.


10. Here's some articles about the phone scams: The circumstances are similar but the scammers are now using fake ads on your computer to get you to call them:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

http://askleo.com/i_got_a_call_from_microsoft_and_allowed_them_access_to_my_computer_what_do_i_do_now/?awt_l=Bg3x_&awt_m=JK7z9_UOFJdfbL

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/08/tech-support-phone-scams-surge/