Viruses - Don't Get Conned
It has come to my attention in recent weeks that despite many computer users having virus protection software
(e.g. AVG, Norton, McAfee) they are still having their PCs and laptops infected with viruses. In a lot of
cases users are paying upwards of £30 per year for such services and in my opinion not getting value for money.
There are hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of viruses, malware and spyware lurking on the Internet
ready and waiting for the chance to infect a computer. The most common methods of accumulating such things
are by navigating to an unvetted site or downloading music through a P2P (Peer-To-Peer) program.
The most sophisticated viruses tend to disguise themselves as Virus Removal software. They look very professional
and similar in appearence to genuine virus protection software. See below for an example.Often the user finds it
impossible to close down such an application and is continuously prompted to pay for additional software to get
rid of viruses. Sadly in some cases people pay such a fee and risk further problems. On the one hand there is no
guarantee that paying said fee will solve the problem (in fact it may lead to more viruses and requests for money).
Secondly, an unknown and untrusted party has your credit or debit card details. This of course is never a good thing.
Two examples of viruses disguising themselves as virus protection software
Most viruses will stop users from accessing their genuine virus protection software and other Windows features.
In some cases users may not even be able to get to the desktop to access files or programs. If this sounds symptomatic
of any problems you may be experiencing, I urge you to call First 4 Computers as soon as possible. I have the know how
and experience to deal with such problems. My success rate is 100%. Depending on the scale of virus infection most repairs
to your operating system can be done on-site for £40. If the extent of the virus infection is much larger then it
may be necessary to carry out repairs off-site for a fee of £50 (including collection and delivery). Most off-site
repairs have a turn around time of no more than 24 hours.
In the meantime if you are using the Internet and you believe the threat of virus infection is imminent,
disconnect from the Internet as quickly as possible!
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