'ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC' Pop-Ups

Seeing the 'ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC' pop-ups while Web browsing might often be accompanied by weird and unexplained behavior by your Web browser. This is because these pop-ups are hosted on pages that have been programmed to tamper with the Web browser's functionality by preventing the user from accessing other tabs, moving the mouse cursor freely, etc. All this is done with one thing in mind – to trick the visitors into thinking that there is something not right with their computers and the 'ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC' pop-ups are providing them with accurate information. These pop-ups might claim that the visitors' computers have been blocked by their Internet Service Provider (ISP) due to suspicious activity, and they need to resolve the issue immediately. Otherwise, they might risk losing their bank account details, e-mail conversations, sensitive files and other information.

The authors of this cleverly crafted tactic use an automated IP lookup script, which can give them the exact name of the visitor's ISP, therefore making the pop-up seem more believable. The end goal of the pop-ups is to convince the potential victim to call the 'Microsoft technicians' phone number promoted in the pop-up. However, the phone line 800-765-1745 that the 'ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC' pop-ups advertise is not affiliated with Microsoft, and you can rest assured that the people behind it are not trustworthy.

The cybercrooks usually aim to convince the victim to pay hundreds of dollars for non-existing technical support services or software. They might trick them into doing this by promising to help them resolve various computer issues, or provide them with a software suite that will keep their PCs protected and optimized. However, the aforementioned software usually ends up being either freeware or a dubious application that some anti-virus product vendors might have classified as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP).

If you see the 'ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC' pop-ups in your Web browser, you should keep your composure and remember that these messages are fake. The correct way to proceed when exposed to a tactic like the one here is to restart the Web browser to dispose of the fraudulent website immediately, and then proceed to browse the Web as if nothing happened.