There are an increasing number of viruses and other types of malware that are designed to fool you, infect your PC and steal your money. If you’ve used a computer on the Internet, you’ve probably come across some of these fake “friends” yourself. Perhaps you were surfing away and suddenly a box popped up on your screen saying that you’re infected with a virus. Oh no! Maybe it will tell you that you’re computer is overrun with or spyware, or that your “registry” is damaged or needs to be cleaned. It sounds horrible, but the message box also assures you that it can perform a free scan of your computer and fix the problem. What should you do?

The first thing you should do is look closely at the message, but don’t click it. Where is the message coming from? This will be your first clue that something is amiss. You should never get a legitimate message from a program that is not installed on your computer! You should never get a warning about a virus from an anti-virus program that you’ve never installed. You won’t see messages about spyware, malware or registry problems unless you installed the piece of software that is telling you that there is a problem.

Let’s say you use “AVG Anti-Virus” (my personal favorite). Suddenly, a message pops up saying that you are infected with a virus. If that message is not coming from AVG Anti-Virus – and you should be able to tell – then you’re likely being targeted by a scam. The message will probably prompt you to click something to perform a “free scan” of your computer. What will happen is that the “fake software” will simulate a scan and report that you’re infected…then it’ll ask you to purchase their software in order to remove the infection. Unfortunately, by running the “free scan,” you might have just installed a virus that is difficult to remove.

When you see these fake messages that come from software you didn’t install yourself, ignore them. Don’t click anywhere inside the message – not even if there is a “Close” button. Instead, click the “X” in the upper-right corner of the window and close the message that way. This prevents you from triggering any of the bad activities that the message has waiting for you in the background.

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[Author’s Note: “Ask the Geek” is published weekly in the Stratford Star - the penultimate reading experience for residents of Stratford, Texas, population 1,920. It is posted on WritersCafe.net for posterity. Feel free to comment, but I can’t promise you’ll make the Star.]