According to Symantec, over 40 million people have fallen victim to “scareware” scams in the past year. Online criminals make millions off these scams, by simply convincing computer users to download fake anti-virus software. Scareware sellers deliberately use pop-up ads that are designed to look legitimate, using the same styles as Microsoft and other software providers. They often appear when a user switches between websites, and falsely warns that the computer’s security has been compromised. If the user clicks on the message, they are directed to another site where they can purchase the fake anti-virus software.
Attorney General Rob McKenna called the practice a “blatant rip-off of consumers,” explaining that users were being “duped into downloading a fake scan (of the computer) and then duped into paying for software they don’t need”.

Software deemed useless by the suite include Scan & Repair, Antivirus 2009, MalwareCore, WinDefender, XPDefender and WinSpywareProtec.