Scareware Brings in Big Bucks for Russian Firm

You may not know scareware by its name, but you have probably encountered it at some point while you have been working online.

Reports out of Silicone Valley say a shadowy Russian firm called Bakasoftware has made nearly 5-million dollars scaring unsophisticated computer users.

Millions of American computers are targeted with fake anti-virus software though SPAM email campaigns or links on websites.

The receiver of the email is tricked into opening up an attachment in their email or a link on a web page  that installs the scareware program on their computer.

The scareware programs have been known by the names Anitivirus XP 2008 or Anitvirus 2009.

The scareware then is triggered to run pop up messages on your computer that your computer is infected by a virus.

You are then enticed by these pop up message to purchase their software to clear the virus off your computer.

Apparently the scareware only targets computers using the English language. If the program called a bot checks out a computer and determines that it uses Russian language the scareware will not be installed on the computer.

This type of software is a virus of sorts. So never never open an attachment in an email if you didn't know who sent it too you. And do not respond to any pop up web page message that is telling you your computer is infected by a virus.