Staying Safe Online · Updates & Antivirus · Lesson 3 of 5

Real Warnings vs Fake Warnings

Learn what real safety warnings look like, and how to spot a fake.

What real warnings look like

Your computer and your web browser do warn you about real danger. Real warnings are calm. They tell you what they stopped and offer a safe way out.

Here are three real ones you may see.

"Windows protected your PC". This is a blue box from SmartScreen, a safety check built into Windows. It appears when you try to open a program that Windows doesn't know. It offers a Don't run button. If you didn't expect this program, click Don't run.

A red warning page in your browser. Chrome and Edge show a full red page when a website is known to be harmful. In Chrome, the heading may say "Deceptive site ahead" or "Dangerous site". In Edge, it may say "This site has been reported as unsafe". Click the button that takes you back to safety.

A note from Windows Security. If Defender finds something, a small message pops up in the corner of the screen. Defender usually removes the problem for you. You can open the Windows Security app to see what happened.

Notice what real warnings never do:

• They never show a phone number to call.
• They never ask you to pay.
• They never count down or beep at you.

When a real warning appears, the safe choice is to go back or not open the thing.

The signs of a fake

A fake warning is made by a scammer to scare you. It usually shows up in your web browser while you are visiting a website. It is not from Windows or Apple at all.

Fakes often have these signs:

• A phone number to call for "support". This is the biggest clue. The person who answers is the scammer.
• A countdown timer, like "Your files will be deleted in 4:59".
• A demand to pay, often by gift card, a payment app or a "renewal fee".
• Loud beeps, flashing colors or a voice talking.
• A strange web address at the top, not microsoft.com or apple.com.
• It fills the whole screen and seems to lock it.

The page can't really see your files. It is just a web page pretending to be scary.

What to do:

1. Don't call, don't click inside it and don't pay.
2. Press Esc to leave full screen, then close the tab.
3. If it won't close, open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and end the browser.
4. Open the real Windows Security app and run a quick scan if you want peace of mind.

On a Mac, press Command+Q to quit the browser.

If you already called or paid, that's okay. Many people do. Tell your bank right away and ask someone you trust to help.