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I have been getting pop-ups on my computer that claim to be from Apple warning of some dire problems with my software. How do I verify that the msgs are NOT from Apple and how do I get rid of them?

I have been getting pop-ups on my computer that claim to be from Apple warning of some dire problems with my software. How do I verify that the msgs are NOT from Apple and how do I get rid of them?


Running El Capitan, have McAfee installed, pop-up blocker turned on.


The 'toll free helpline' number they furnish is 855 857 1750

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), Msgs appear on Chrome

Posted on Mar 24, 2016 7:13 AM

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Posted on Feb 28, 2017 12:21 PM

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! These things were driving me crazy. The command W seemed to work to get rid of the pop ups. I downloaded a flash update and somehow got all kinds of other crap too. I had managed to get rid of the others, but this one was still hanging around. Thanks for posting!

11 replies

Jul 26, 2017 5:26 PM in response to AlanTuba

This solution is great but what about if the popups are happening in multi browsers? I'm having popups come in both Safari AND Chrome. Chrome is my primary and I almost never use Safari so it wasnt from some "fishy" site I went to as I do not use it for anything other than youtube.


What should I look for or how do I find the malware/adware that is triggering it no matter the browser? Also, I did follow your steps for removing files from browser.

Mar 24, 2016 8:01 AM in response to AlanTuba

Macaffe causes problems in Mac OS, it prevents nothing but it has a history of OS integration missmanagment

the general consensus in these forms is all mac AV is terrible, it should be removed, it is not a flexible as it is in Windows.

https://community.mcafee.com/thread/54519?tstart=0


this is a pop up scam but you should reset safari in the event you have junk installed on it

quit out of safari

hold down shift key

restart safari


if you wish to check your computer for malware the majority if volunteers here recommend malwarebytes for mac.

it's free, and while MWB is relatively new for mac it has been a standard with the windows IT departments of major corporations and windows users as a safe, trusted and competent piece of software. it does what it says - remove existing malware, it does not stay resident and look for it though.

https://www.malwarebytes.org

Mar 24, 2016 8:12 AM in response to AlanTuba

A

Don't use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product on a Mac. There is never a need for it, and relying on it for protection makes you more vulnerable to attack, not less.

Your problem is most likely not caused by malware. It's a Web scam that only affects the browser, and only temporarily. There are several ways to recover.

1. The easiest thing to do is to force quit the browser. Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock, the LaunchPad, or the Applications folder.

You will lose the state of other open tabs and windows. Either Step 2, Step 3, or Step 4 may enable you to keep that state information. If those steps don't work, fall back to Step 1.

2. If there is a checkbox in the popup marked

Don't show more alerts from this web page

check it, then close the popup.

3. Press the key combination command-W to close the tab or window. A huge box will pop up. Press the return key and both the box and the page may close. If that doesn't happen, press and hold command-W. You may hear repeating alert sounds. While holding the keys, click the OK button in the popup. A different popup may appear, which you can cancel out of as usual.

4. From the Safari menu bar, select

Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security

and uncheck the box marked Enable JavaScript.

After closing the malicious page, select from the menu bar

Safari Preferences... Privacy Remove All Website Data

to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open the Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.

B

Please uninstall the McAfee product by following these instructions.

Note that if you have already tried to uninstall the software, you may have to reinstall it in order to finish the job. If you have a different version of the product, the procedure may be different.

Back up all data before making any changes. Never install any "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product again.

Mar 24, 2016 9:29 AM in response to winstonchan333

Mac Keeper doesn't throw up fraud pop ups - it's de facto advertising platform is ads that make fraudulent claims though pop ups but it generally screws up your mac in other ways. The OP behavior is not indicative of Mac Keeper, it's the by product of web pages that exploit advertising tools to promote a false claim (e.g "we is apple and we know you haz virus! have your credit card ready and call us for a free smoke and mirrors consultation for only $129.00)


secondly despite claims that Malwarebytes makes problems worse I invite any post that provides substance to this claim for this piece of software. Until that time bold text is conjecture based on opinion but if proof can be made I will take into account.

This invite has been made before, but it has not been challenged. However the invitation to challenge this still stands if anyone would like to prove their case against MWB.

I have been getting pop-ups on my computer that claim to be from Apple warning of some dire problems with my software. How do I verify that the msgs are NOT from Apple and how do I get rid of them?

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