I got an email from Bank America saying I owed $$, I don't even have an account with them, needless to say it went in my spam folder!

There is some scary stuff out there.

You're right - we should always, always go to the secure website to pay bills - never click on the link!

I did a knee-jerk when I saw the size of the bill and clicked on the link before thinking about it. I was thinking someone had somehow gotten into my phone account and was running up long-distance or extended usury expenses, that's what the folks that built this virus were counting on and I fell for it...never again. This one was absolutely the slickest I've ever encountered and both Verizon and BOA stated they've not had one this sophisticated reported yet.

Everyone beware....

Thanks for the heads-up! Being impulsive on the internet is rarely a good idea, I've learned.

& FWIW, despite keeping my email filters on high, something always manages to get through (& several friends got their email accounts hacked), so I check the URL of suspicious email links - hovering the cursor over the link shows the URL in the bottom bar on my browser. & I also check the address of official-looking emails - the bogus ones are usually not right.

my heart goes out to you, we've all made those clicks that we instantly regret then spend hours trying to fix. At least your security software got rid of it. I had one one time that couldn't be fixed, horrible experience.
Lori

Guess I'm just the old 'fuddy-duddy' but I don't put anything on the PC that I don't want the whole world to see, I get the bills in the mail (yes, the US Postal Service is still up and running) and write a check and put it in the mail ( I trust the US Postal Service)... and have never been scammed or hacked or whatever by mail... I do Genealogy, and learned long ago to make a paper record of anything I want to keep, because it takes just one melt-down to lose everything..... works for me....sally

At least your security software got rid of it. I had one one time that couldn't be fixed, horrible experience.

Lori, my software didn't catch it but with a McAfee account I can call them and for $18.95 they will take control of my computer remotely and solve the problem immediately, no packing the computer up and taking it anywhere, no waiting until a convenient time to do that, they are available 24/7 and if they can't fix it the charge is refunded...that's my kind of customer service :-)

Tom

My HP technician says I have a virus and they can remove it but it will cost me $59 because the problem isn't covered on my warrantee. They have to do a system recovery that requires multiple technicians. Has anyone gone through this. I know I have a bad virus because weird things are happening. I tried super spyware and they didn't find it.

There's something going on right here on the Florida Gardening Forum. Twice today I got a pop-up window warning me of a virus when I tried to log on here.
Has this happened to anybody else here today?

Hi Brute

I have been getting kicked off this forum in the past couple of days and a pop-up from Norton tells me they have detected
a virus attempt. Actually it kicks me right off the 'net and I have to start all over.

Wish I could remember what it says. Something about gaming or purchasing or advertising . . . something I wasn't doing at the time.

But I haven't gotten anything pop up today.

Susie

Uh oh, all this doesn't sound good. Everyone needs to be on their guard....

I use Firefox plus the NoScript addon.

Honestly, NoScript can be kind of a pain because you have to manually allow websites to run scripts to get certain kinds of functionality. For example, I can read GardenWeb without allowing it, but it doesn't track which posts I've read, and it doesn't let me log in or post. Since GardenWeb itself seems safe, I have it allowed. (Obviously, since I am posting this!) But I don't allow the SEVEN other scripts that want to load when I am on GardenWeb. On lots of other sites, it's like this - you can usually see the main content without enabling anything. But if you want to post, comment, login, etc., you have to allow one or more scripts.

The great thing is that NoScript but it blocks virtually all ads and pop-ups. (Ad companies hate NoScript!) Soo...I am not seeing these popups and ads everyone is talking about. I am not getting kicked off the forums, either.

NoScript also blocks click-jacking attempts, mouseover malware, automatic redirection to other webpages, javascript-based malware, etc. You can customize it to allow as much functionality as you want for known safe sites. You can also temporarily allow a website that you're checking out, and it will take that site off the approved list as soon as you close Firefox. (Temporary approval is what I usually do - I only permanently approve sites I visit often.)

Getting NoScript was a real education to see all of the spyware that even "reputable" sites employ to track your web browsing, searching, and shopping habits. And since you don't know what all of these scripts are, who owns them, and what data they're collecting, you really don't know whether they're tracking personally identifiable information (setting you up for identity theft). After seeing all of that, I won't run a web browser without a script blocker again!

I also use Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free and isn't a system-hog like most AV programs. (I can't tolerate AV software that ties up a large amount of system resources.)

I am not saying it's perfect protection, and NoScript takes some user intervention, so it's not "set it and forget it." But I like it and think it provides pretty good protection. It's like putting an alarm system on your car - a determined thief can still steal it. But generally thieves (and virus writers) can find plenty of easier targets.

I normally only get the typo filled spam that looks like it was run through Google Translate.

I did get a legitimate looking Amazon phishing email once though. Fortunately Gmail knew it wasn't really from Amazon and sent it to my spam folder It looked legitimate enough.

I have two Gmail accounts that I use regularly. One gets spammed, one does not. One I used when joining the wrong site, one I did not. Unfortunately the one that gets the spam I can't "throw away".

I had the same thing happening to me on 6/3 on this forum saying that my computer was infected and to click on the notification to have the virus taken care of. I closed it all out and ran my own scan and nothing came up so I DO BELIEVE that it is a virus attempt through this forum somehow.

A few months back my computer hard drive was totally fried and I couldn't figure it out........until this happened. I am wondering if that's what happened to the other computer. If so be very careful as this virus looks like a real "anti-virus" notification!!!!

Malware, disguised as antispyware/antivirus software, is nothing new. It's been around, fooling folks, for a long time. See link below.

Never click on anything that pops up on your computer and offers to "clean" it for you unless YOU installed it and KNOW what it is.

Carol in Jacksonville

Here is a link that might be useful: Rogue Security Software

Scary stuff.

NoScript sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out, right now I'm just using Add Block Plus.

Tom

@ Carol: You are absolutely right! The same goes for programs that say they will make your computer run faster. Those are classic methods for malware authors to get into your computer.

@ Tom: NoScript can be a pain, but I like it. Something else you can do if you are really curious about a potentially dodgy website is to load it through a proxy service.

The one I use is ixquick.com. It's a search engine, just like Google. But it also offers a proxy option. In every list of search results, at the end of each search result is the word "proxy" in blue text. If you click on the word proxy it will connect to that search result with its own server, and then send your computer what is basically a screenshot of that page. When you click on a link on that page, ixquick fetches what you asked for, sending you another screenshot of the new page. Basically, you are looking at but not touching the website. So for example you could browse a web store, but not order. When you're connected to a site by proxy, if you decide that site is safe, there is an "unproxy" button you can click on to establish a direct connection.

I have been offline for a while so I am late in weighing in on this conversation. Sorry to those who have had issues. I tried a lot of software programs before I purchase Webroot Secure Anywhere and I have not had any problems since. It will block me from entering a site that appears dangerous unless I am sure I wish to go there and it will prevent me from opening emails that it detects as dangerous or threatening or virused. It prevented me from opeming an email from BOA that I accidently clicked on since I do not bank with them and it prevents me from opening the Paypal emails that are scams. I pay for the service but it has been wekk worth it and it also picks up malware, spyware, etc.