Bad Behavior
A word of caution to all of you online shoppers browsing the Web for the best buys on security software: make sure to do your research and check that you’re getting a legitimate product from a legitimate security company. Keep reading for the details on this threat to your security.
Understanding the Threat
We’ve warned you before about the rise of rogue security software, as cyber scammers continue to push their fake products. A simple, yet effective, way for these criminals to increase rogue sales is to hitch a ride on the back of a well-known security product, and distribute it through a rogue website. There are a number of websites out there that are trying to mimic or sound like our product's name - Ad-Aware - peddling a “security product” which in actuality is nothing more than rogue software.
The Bad Behavior
The past weeks, Customers have been contacting us about the sites, below, that appear very similar to the name “Ad-Aware” or “Ad-Aware Pro”, each of which push a rogue security product. Please note that Lavasoft is not affiliated with these sites or products; do not use them to purchase Ad-Aware – you’ll actually be paying for a rogue program.
Adwarepro2010.com (Rogue security product: Win32.FraudTool.AdwarePro)
Adwarepronow.com (Rogue security product: Win32.FraudTool.AdwarePro)
Adware-pro-live.com (Rogue security product: Win32.FraudTool.AdwarePro)
Adwarealert.com (Rogue security product: Win32.FraudTool.AdwareAlert)
Adwarepro.org(Rogue security product: Win32.FraudTool.AdwarePro)
The aim of rogue anti-spyware software vendors is to produce an application that, at face value, appears to be useful in order to get users to buy the software. And, judging from the sites used to promote the fakes, it’s not difficult to understand why people fall for the lure; many of these types of sites include legitimate-looking customer testimonials, awards, and certification.
Winning Strategies
What can you do to stay safe from these types of scams? For you or anyone you know that is planning to buy Ad-Aware, it’s important to buy directly from Lavasoft or a legitimate reseller. When in doubt about a Lavasoft product purchase, you can confirm that the sale is through one of our legitimate resellers or affiliates by contacting sales@lavasoft.com
When trying or buying security software, be sure to first check The Rogue Gallery, Lavasoft’s reference tool to combat rogues, to see if programs you’re interested in are real or fakes.
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