'Error Code:022-023-251' Pop-Ups

The "Error Code 022-023-251" message that you may see in your browser is really just a technical support tactic. The message is fake and does not originate from Microsoft or any Microsoft employees or support staff, as it implies. Microsoft has always been very clear that the company and its staff will never send unsolicited emails to customers and users and will never request users to initiate phone calls of any kind. The full text of the technical support tactic that parades as "Error Code 022-023-251" is as follows:

'SECURITY WARNING
Error Code 022-023-251
Do not ignore this critical alert.
If you close this page, your PC access will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.
Your PC has alerted us that it has been infected with a virus and spyware. The following information is being stolen…
Facebook Login
Credit Card Detail
Microsoft Account Login
Photos stored on this PC.
You must contact us immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process over the phone. Please call Microsoft within the next 5 minutes to prevent your PC from being disabled.'

This message shows up once the user is redirected to 'manage-domains38-code754-com.ga' and is accompanied by a phone number that the victim is expected to dial – 8XX-046-5257. Those are some of the usual tactics that telephone support tactic con artists use – first scaring the users into submission, then getting them to dial a fake support number. Once on the phone with their victim, the con artists will likely request some remote access to the victim's computer and then ask for payment for a fake fix, collecting banking and other credentials in the process.

The best to do in case of similar fake error messages is to run a reliable security suite and try to clean the source of the issue that is causing the fake messages – usually a virus or some other sort of unsafe software that snuck in.