’800-870-4502′ Pop-Ups

The '800-870-4502' pop-ups are hoaxes that display fake Windows error messages and redirect you to a fake support hotline. Con artists posing as Windows support technicians may use these campaigns for taking money or gaining remote access to your computer. For safety's sake, malware experts recommend rebooting your machine and running anti-malware scans after any contact with the '800-870-4502' pop-ups, which sometimes are symptoms of other security issues.

The New Blue Screen You Shouldn't Believe

While modern versions of Windows have made significant strides in reducing the average quantity of blue screen error messages, memories of these 'Blue Screens of Death' still linger in the public mind. Unfortunately, con artists also are well aware of this fact, and sometimes incorporate fake blue screens into their attacks. The '800-870-4502' pop-ups are particularly recent showcases of this technique, which use browser pop-ups with specific HTML formatting to imitate the look of a blue screen error code.

The '800-870-4502' pop-ups campaign dates itself from the last month of 2015, ongoing into the New Year. The pop-ups load fraudulent system information and error codes automatically, as well as the hotline number, which the message recommends calling for more technical support. Con artists manning the lines promoted by the '800-870-4502' pop-ups typically represent themselves as being affiliates or subsidiaries of Microsoft. However, malware experts stress that Microsoft does not endorse these companies, and never uses system errors for promoting help hotlines of any kind.

After initiating a phone contact, the con artists may subject you to the following hazards:

• They may ask you to make settings changes or install products that let them control your PC remotely. Even though many of these changes don't require threats, they may give the con artist a level of access equivalent to that granted by the average backdoor Trojan.
• They may recommend spending money on a repair service or software package that, theoretically, will resolve any ongoing problems, such as file inaccessibility, system resource spikes or poor performance. These products and services may not exist, and almost always require more upfront payment than is standard for the industry.

Wiping that Particular Shade of Blue Off Your Screen

Despite their superficial appearance of being Windows blue screen codes, the '800-870-4502' pop-ups are neither part of your operating system, nor capable of delivering real system information. Your response to them should be the same as if you have exposed your PC to any other kind of threatening pop-up: rebooting your PC in Safe Mode, scanning it with any available anti-malware tools, and resetting all relevant Web-browsing settings. In some cases, you also may wish to do a system reset, which may require backing up any important data beforehand.

The '800-870-4502' pop-ups may launch via corrupted websites, websites with compromised advertising networks, and some kinds of threatening software. However, using stringent browser security and conducting regular anti-malware scans can't protect computer users from all of the consequences of these phishing tactics. Treat any information given to a party affiliated with the '800-870-4502' pop-ups as being in unethical possession, and, if necessary, contact your bank or your credit card company.

Currently, malware experts have seen the '800-870-4502' pop-ups focusing on Windows users; a natural consequence of their preferred message formats.