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User profile for user: YoungBillyT
YoungBillyT Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Fake Apple warnings

When using Safari I have started being switched from the web page that I am visiting to a page that looks like the Apple home page containing a warning that my iMac has been infected and a timer appears for me to take action by clicking a link to possible solutions. The web address of this new page is a combination of numbers and letters and does not contain Apple.inc. and is not a pop-up. I am sure that this is some sort of scam, but cannot seem to stop it happening. I have Sophos antivirus running but this has not found anything. I am thinking of returning the Mac to Factory Settings, hoping that this will cure the problem, but would like a less drastic solution.


Any ideas?

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Dec 13, 2017 2:52 AM

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6 replies
User profile for user: dominic23
dominic23
User level: Level 10
83,904 points

Dec 13, 2017 5:17 AM in response to YoungBillyT

Nowadays it is very hard to prevent this kind of scams.

Some websites we visit may prompt these scams to pop-up.

Avoiding such websites is the best solution, but not practical I guess.


We can effectively remove these pests once these show up.


When you get a chance, please go through below listed articles for more information.


Scam pop-ups

For helpful information:


1. How to block pop-ups in Safari

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT203987


2. Apple Toolbox

https://appletoolbox.com/2017/07/get-rid-safari-pop-scams/

stevejobsfan0123, author of this article is an active member of this community helping users.


3. Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8071

John Galt, author of this article is an active member of this community helping users.


4. The SafeMac

http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-support-scam-pop-ups/

Thomas Reed, author of this article is an active member of this community helping users.

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User profile for user: dominic23
dominic23
User level: Level 10
83,904 points

Dec 13, 2017 4:00 AM in response to YoungBillyT

1. Click  in the menu bar and choose “Force Quit”.

In the window that opens up, select “Safari” and click “Force Quit.


2. Relaunch Safari holding the shift key down.


Additional steps if needed:


3. Turn off wifi and turn it back on.


Turn off Wifi. Click Wifi icon in the menu bar and select “Turn Wifi off”.

Visit another website.

You won’t have internet connection.

Turn on Wifi. Click Wifi icon in the menu bar and select “Turn Wifi on”.

Select your Network.


4. Click Safari in the Safari menu bar and choose “Clear History”.

Select an appropriate time frame.

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User profile for user: YoungBillyT
YoungBillyT Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Dec 13, 2017 4:36 AM in response to dominic23

Thanks for this.


I don't think that I properly explained my problem.


When the presumed fake page appears I am able to close it down, but this means that I have to close Safari and then reopen it to continue my work.


My concern is why has this page appeared in the first place, and how can I prevent it from happening in the future. I have not received any scam email that I clicked onto that caused the page to open.


The firewall is enabled and the pop-up blocker is activated.


I hope that this makes sense.

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User profile for user: dominic23
dominic23
User level: Level 10
83,904 points

Dec 13, 2017 5:47 AM in response to YoungBillyT

Some commercial sites like Banking, Shopping,etc may require us to allow pop-ups and store cookies,

doing business possible.


Safari is moving in the right direction by allowing us to configure each website.

Safari > Preferences > Websites


Safari doesn't allow tracking cookies to be stored by default now.

Hopefully in the near future, we may be able to configure each website we visit.

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Fake Apple warnings

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