Member reporting a warning from anti-virus.

[mirandashell]

Forum URL: pointsofviewtoo.freeforums.net

A member emailed me with the following:

Recently I have received warnings, purporting to come from my security provider, that the forum was unsafe and my computer had ben compromised and "click here to deal with it". I did not do so but turned everything off and disconnected for a few minutes and ran a full scan which as far as I could see showed up nothing major. A day or two later when looking at the forum a notice flagged up, again appearing to be from my security people , telling me this site was dangerous and they would not advise using it. I decided that if it was genuine I would follow their advice and if it was just a scam, the scammers were able to infiltrate my computer, so I deleted my account,albeit reluctantly as I had not been able to tell you why.

I've not heard from any other member so I'm assuming it's some sort of scam.  Any advice on what to tell the member?

[Brian]

Hi, mirandashell.

It's difficult to say without seeing something like a screenshot of the actual warning they received to confirm whether it's something from their antivirus software or a false warning potentially produced in their browser by an advertisement.

I would ask them to clarify with more specific details or provide a screenshot if it happens again.

[mirandashell]

I'll ask but they will probably have a bit of a panic attack at the thought! They aren't what you might call IT-literate.