Home Malware Programs Browser Hijackers '888-980-3085' Pop-Ups

'888-980-3085' Pop-Ups

Posted: August 29, 2016

The '888-980-3085' pop-ups are browser hoaxes that pretend to offer recovery options for Windows system errors. A threat actor can use these technical support tactics for gaining remote control over your computer, extorting money or collecting information. Always scan your computer after you experience any unprotected exposure to the '888-980-3085' pop-ups and remove any temporary browsing data that could invoke additional incidents afterward.

A Bad Error Code to See on Your Screen

Most Windows users are acquainted with the concept of Blue Screens of Death (or BSODs) and their corresponding error codes distantly but know little about the details of these messages. This ignorance has caused many con artists to specialize in fake Windows alerts that imitate BSODs. The '888-980-3085' pop-ups are a recent re-occurrence of these styles of attacks and display inaccurate technical information as their disguise. Malware experts have, so far, identified two domains associated with these attacks: Gentechllc.us and Geeks-tech.us, the first of which has a history of promoting threatening software.

The '888-980-3085' pop-ups may load through other means than the above sites, such as, most commonly, advertising networks (including the ordinarily reputable Google Ads). They may use the traditional 'blue' format of a BSOD or alternate formats, such as black text on gray backgrounds invoking the authority of the Microsoft's Defender software. PC owners familiar with the formatting of both the former and the latter may note that the '888-980-3085' pop-ups don't conform to the visual norms or technical information standards in either case.

All versions of the '888-980-3085' pop-ups promote their technical support number as a solution to their fake error messages. After calling, a victim may be asked to give the con artist remote desktop access or encouraged to purchase a repair service, product, or even software key. None of these services are affiliated with genuine Microsoft support or offer any Windows repair, anti-malware, or security benefits.

The Best Help Available for Eluding a Fake Help Desk

Their fake information may convince some victims to lose money to their hoaxes, but malware experts find other sources of concern with the '888-980-3085' pop-ups. They associate many cases of these attacks with browser-based scripts that can prevent you from closing the window, potentially locking you out of your desktop. The '888-980-3085' pop-ups, like most HTML threats, may load through any modern browser, and, as noted earlier, don't require visiting a corrupted website necessarily.

Malware experts continue recommending that PC users stay educated about the basics of system-based error messages. Legitimate Windows warnings never ask you to contact a technical support over a hotline. Numerical error codes, such as the ones imitated by the '888-980-3085' pop-ups, also can be referenced at the Microsoft.com website and confirmed as valid, or debunked.

Careful PC users are unlikely of being victims of the '888-980-3085' pop-ups, which require some level of both ignorance and complicity. However, good anti-malware tools can remove the sources of the '888-980-3085' pop-ups that trigger more than once, and guarantee that they didn't deliver other threats to your system. Education backed up by software-based protection remains the gold standard for defense against these Web tactics.

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