While browsing a fandom wiki for a video game, I accidentally tapped on something which triggered a popup claiming I had 17 viruses. It forced a system settings dialogue that started a countdown timer of 45 seconds. I tried to click through to see the settings, but nothing notable happened, and the popup disappeared. I've since turned off my internet. Should I be concerned about this?
3 Answers
I'm not an expert, but this sounds like scareware too. Legitimate antivirus software won't set time limits and tell you to act fast. If it looked like a dramatic red alert on your screen, that's a classic sign. Do you remember what it looked like?
If you're on your phone, it seems like it was just scareware—a common tactic that makes scary alerts to trick people into downloading something harmful. As long as you didn’t click any links or install anything, you should be alright.
The popup you mentioned sounds pretty typical. If it resembled a low-battery warning but was just asking you to take immediate action, that's suspicious. It’s good you didn’t follow any prompts! Staying offline was a smart move.
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