Removing Spam Pop-Ups and Fake Virus Warnings

Quick Links: | Identifying Malicious Pop-Ups | Google Chrome | Mozilla Firefox |

Identifying Malicious Pop-Ups

Malicious pop-ups often pretend to be warnings from antivirus programs, your operating system, or your web browser. They are designed to scare you into clicking links, downloading software, or calling a phone number.

Common signs of fake pop-ups include:

• Pop-up messages like "Virus Detected" or "System Infected" that appear while browsing. 
• Notifications coming from websites you don’t recognize.
• Repeated alerts that reappear after closing your browser tab.

Do not click any links, buttons, or phone numbers in these pop-ups. Instead, clear the browser's notification settings and extensions using the instructions below. 

Google Chrome

These fake pop-ups are often caused by malicious websites that have permission to send browser notifications or by adding unwanted extensions. 

Check Browser Notifications

Follow these steps to remove Notifications in Google Chrome:

1. In Chrome, click the three dot menu in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the left menu, click Privacy and security.
4. Click Site settings.
5. Under Permissions, click Notifications.
   • You can also copy and paste this directly into your address bar: chrome://settings/content/notifications
6. Under Allowed to send notifications, look for websites with strange or suspicious names that you don’t recognize.
   
    
7. Click the three dots next to the suspicious website.
8. Select Remove to block it from sending pop-ups.

Check Browser Extensions

Follow these steps to remove Extensions in Google Chrome:

1. In Chrome, click the three dot menu in the top right corner.
2. Hover over Extensions and click Manage Extensions.
   • You can also copy and paste this directly into your address bar: chrome://extensions
3. Review the list of installed extensions. Look for any you don’t recognize or no longer need.
4. Click Remove on suspicious extensions.
   
    

Once suspicious sites and extensions are removed, the fake “Virus Detected” or “System Infected” pop-ups should no longer appear. If they continue, restart your browser and repeat the steps.

Mozilla Firefox

These fake pop-ups are often caused by malicious websites that have permission to send browser notifications or by adding unwanted extensions. 

Check Browser Notifications

Follow these steps to remove Notifications in Firefox:

1. In Firefox, click the three line menu in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. From the left-hand menu, click Privacy & Security.
   • You can also copy and paste this directly into your address bar: about:preferences#privacy
4. Scroll down to the Permissions section.
5. Next to Notifications, click Settings. 
   
    
6. Look for suspicious or unrecognized websites in the list.
7. Select the website and click Remove Website.
8. Click Save Changes when finished.

Check Browser Extensions

Follow these steps to remove Extensions in Google Chrome:

1. In Firefox, click the three line menu in the top right corner.
2. Select Extensions and themes.
   • You can also copy and paste this directly into your address bar: about:addons
3. In the left menu, click Extensions.
4. Review the list of installed extensions. Look for any you don’t recognize or no longer need.
5. Click the three dots next to the suspicious extension and select Remove.
   

Once suspicious sites and extensions are removed, the fake “Virus Detected” or “System Infected” pop-ups should no longer appear. If they continue, restart your browser and repeat the steps.

 Still need help? Contact IT Support Services for further assistance.
  
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