[Portions adapted and republished from CA.com]
An alarming alert suddenly appears on your computer screen– your PC has been infected and must be cleansed. The alert offers an opportunity to download “Antivirus XP 2008″ (aka “Antivirus XP Pro”), a program to remove the infection. Do not click any links; turn off the computer with the on/off button and call us immediately at 770-713-8070.
Your PC is already infected, but the damage can be minimized. Antivirus XP 2008 (AntivirusXP08) is a component of the FakeAlert family of trojans. It follows in a long line of schemes to extort money from innocent computer users via multicomponent malware. The FakeAlert family is one part trojan, one part downloader, and one part rogue security product. All components work in tandem to trick users out of money.