Wasted $200 on a fake antivirus bundle that wrecked my laptop

Ngl I thought I was being smart buying a 3 year license for some antivirus software I saw pop up online. Paid $200 for it and installed it right away. Within a week my laptop was crawling, random popups kept appearing, and I could barely open a browser. Turns out it was a scam version that actually loaded malware instead of blocking it. Had to pay a local tech $80 to clean it out and now I just use the free Windows Defender stuff. Anyone else get burned by a shady security product?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninal911mo ago

Paid a tech $80 to clean it up but did they actually check what data got scooped up in the meantime? These fake antivirus bundles are often keyloggers in disguise, so whoever made it probably already has your saved passwords, credit card info, or worse. Windows Defender is fine for most people but you might want to rotate every password you've used on that laptop and check your bank statements for the next few months. The real scam isn't just the $200, it's the identity theft that comes creeping in later when you least expect it.

gavin_allen481mo ago

Are we sure it's that serious though? Most of these fake antivirus bundles are just scareware that locks your screen, not some sophisticated keylogger that's siphoning your passwords. Chances are the tech already wiped the whole thing clean, so the real worry might just be the $200 and the $80 fee, not identity theft. Has anyone actually had their identity stolen from one of these popup scams, or is that more of an urban legend?