'Avira - Your System Was Corrupted' Scam

There is yet another scam making the rounds online, again focused on fake warning messages that your system is infected with malware.

This time the scammers have chosen to abuse the name and branding of a legitimate antivirus product. It should be noted from the start that the scam is not associated with the company or legitimate product being impersonated, in this case - Avira.

The pages used to promote the scam will show fake warnings claiming your system has been "corrupted" and is currently infected with dozens of "viruses". None of this is true, of course, as no website can obtain the security or infection status of your system's drives.

The full text displayed on the scam pages is as follows:

We found that 27.5% of your system was corrupted by (35) harmful viruses from current adult websites.

The text has buttons under it allowing the user to supposedly take action. Clicking on those would redirect to the official website of the legitimate product. However, this does not imply association. Instead, it means the misleading pages hosting the scam are being operated by entities running scams and abusing the affiliate program offered by the spoofed software.

Remember you should always close any browser tab that tells you your computer was infected, as every single one of those messages leads to a malicious outcome or is a scam.