How to get rid of "Trojan spyware" popups that seem fraudulent

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Level 1

8 points

How to get rid of "Trojan spyware" popups that seem fraudulent

I get three different types of popup messages interrupting my work from time to time, claiming—one in a very suspicious-sounding voice—that my Mac has been invaded by "Trojan spyware." They want me to follow links that they supply or call so-called Apple Support on a supplied phone number. How to get rid of these? I've had it about three times now.

And how to prevent such invasions to the greatest extent possible?

Thanks,

Susan

MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Dec 28, 2020 10:39 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Brian_P7

Community Specialist

Dec 30, 2020 3:41 PM in response to coolll

Hi Susan,

It seems you've run into some trouble with pop-ups on your Mac and we can help.

With the sort of pop-ups you're describing, you likely have mistakenly installed malware on your computer.

Here are some tips for stopping pop-ups in Safari:

About pop-up ads and windows in Safari

There's also a tool called MalwareBytes that can help remove the offending apps:

Download and install Malwarebytes for Mac – Malwarebytes Support

Best of luck.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

155,090 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:16 AM in response to coolll

First, please read Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages - Apple Community.

Does it describe what's happening?

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

155,090 points

Dec 31, 2020 7:15 AM in response to coolll

Please describe how those popup messages appear. For example, do that appear in a new Safari window? Or...?

Downloading and installing something may not be an appropriate solution, may not help, may exacerbate the problem, etc.

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Answer 4

Owl-53

Level 10

102,277 points

Dec 31, 2020 6:31 AM in response to coolll

Have try from the Apple Apps Store and search for " Ads and Stuff Blocker " - a free Ad Blocker. Have been using it and satisfied

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Answer 5

coolll Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:06 AM in response to John Galt

I’m responding to a question about whether the invasive adware/malware takes me to a new page inside the browser. The answer is yes. If memory serves, it does this in Safari and Chrome but not in Firefox (I don’t think).

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Answer 6

coolll Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:21 AM in response to coolll

In going through my Applications folder just now, I see I am unable to Trash the Boot Camp Assistant.app, which, when I open it, the intro page says that it installs Windows onto a Mac machine. When I drag it to the Trash, nothing happens; it doesn’t move into the Trash. I tried fn/control/option/command-delete. No dice.

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Answer 7

coolll Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:07 AM in response to coolll

I haven’t downloaded or installed anything as yet. What do you recommend?

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Answer 8

coolll Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:09 AM in response to coolll

I have gone through all the security preference settings and set them to Block. I have also cleared the records of my activity and cookies. None of that has helped, fyi.

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Answer 9

John Galt

Level 10

155,090 points

Dec 31, 2020 10:52 AM in response to coolll

Boot Camp Assistant is installed by macOS and cannot be deleted. It is not related to the concerns you express.

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How to get rid of "Trojan spyware" popups that seem fraudulent

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