Beware of fake security warnings!

Sometimes you’ll be surfing the web and a window pops up that looks like a legitimate warning from Windows. Before you click, read carefully and you’ll find that it’s just a pop up ad trying to entice you to a product site by clicking “Yes” and “OK”. Some even put a “Cancel” button on there, which of course does not cancel but actually takes you to their website.

Pop-ups are becoming more and more annoying, but yet a necessary evil in the world of internet advertising. And advertisers have been getting increasingly creative at ways to get you to click their ad. If the ad says it has found a security problem on your PC and asks you to click, just click the X at the top of the window to close it and go on your way. Even there, be careful to click the actual Windows X and not one that might be part of the ad.