"Your system is infected with (3) Viruses” when opening a Safari tab

datalife_b wrote:

Good afternoon! My phone is infected with a virus, how to use it. Thanks!

Good news, you saw an advertisement.

Which lied.

Your iPhone is fine.

No malware.

No virus.

No hackers.

Nothing to do here, except learn more about these advertisements, and about these scams.

Tap or click on the following blue-text link for Apple info ➡️ Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

rgriercpa wrote:

I have the same issue

Some advertiser has used a pop-up advertisement to try to profit from you, and they've managed to convince you of a lie, and the advertiser is probably now offering a sketchy and probably privacy-invasive app that you don't really need for a problem that you don't really have? That issue?

Default rules for web browsing:

• All pop-up advertisements are scams, until proven otherwise.
• All advertisement containing the word "hacker" or "virus" are scams, until proven otherwise.
• Add-on security tools can be and unfortunately too often are scams, or are privacy-invasive. (One of the better-known "security" tools around for macOS was selling its users' personally-identified web browsing and web-purchasing history.)

Read the following link for some of the many scams around, one of which you've seemingly here encountered:

Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

If you're a CPA as could be inferred from your nick, you're an obvious target for phishing efforts and attempts to defraud, as are your customers.

Hello ~Take a look here:

Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls

It is a scammer trying to get you to reveal your information. Your device is not infected with any virus.

~Katana-San~

theo_ccs wrote:

how can I remove a virus

You’d have to have a virus, first.

You don’t.

You saw an advertisement.

An advertisement that’s lying.

An advertisement that is trying to get you to compromise your security and your privacy by installing a sketchy app.

An advertisement that is deliberately using words and phrases that strike deep fear.

An advertisement that is designed and intended to cause you to do something of benefit to the advertiser.

A sketchy app that may well be in the app store, too.

Yes, there are problematic apps in the app store.

Apple is about to release features which eliminate the need for the type of add-on app involved, too.

Learn how we all are being manipulated: Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

GaryG72 wrote:

how do i fix it?

You would actually need to have to a virus, first.

You don’t.

You saw "Your iPhone has (5) viruses!" or some such message, right?

You saw an advertisement.

An advertisement that’s lying.

An advertisement that is trying to get you to compromise your security or your privacy.

An advertisement that is deliberately using words and phrases that strike deep fear.

An advertisement that is designed and intended to cause you to do something of benefit to the advertiser.

This might involve a sketchy app that may well be in the app store, too. Yes, there are problematic apps in the app store.

Apple is about to release features which eliminate the need for the most common type of add-on app involved in these ads, too.

Learn how we all are being manipulated: Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

I’m always wary of these things and just want to know if anyone else has run across this particular warning.

Well there are 950 posts on this thread, which might tell you something. This is a scam. It's always a scam. No website can search your computer for a virus. Ignore..

Migden12 wrote:

I got a message your system is infected with three viruses is this real or not please help me

This is a scam advertisement. Your system is fine. No hackers. No virus.

Here are some tips from Apple to help you ➡️ Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Jhanger12 wrote:

My phone has three viruses on it I don’t know how to get them off

This is a scam advertisement. Your iPhone is fine. No hackers. No viruses. No problems. The advertisers lied.

Here are some tips from Apple to help you better ➡️ Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

christinefromanthem wrote:

Is there any answer to this question as I just received this message also.

This is a scam advertisement. Your iPhone is fine. No hackers. No viruses. No problems. The advertisers lied.

Here are some tips from Apple to help you better ➡️ Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

For more information, skim the sixty-five pages of this thread. Most of which are folks that saw similar advertisements, and follow-up answers about scams and skepticism.

And before you go looking for “easy” add-on solutions, some of those have had very serious issues that surprised many users, while some of the other add-ons have introduced vulnerabilities. And no add-ons can scan your iPhone or iPad. Apple blocks that.

reeeeeeeeeeee113 wrote:

how do I get rid of the virus

This is a scam advertisement. Your iPhone is fine. No hackers. No viruses. No problems. The advertisers lied.

Here are some tips from Apple to help you better ➡️ Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

kimora211 wrote:

Is my iPhone okay does it have any viruses

Your iPhone is fine.

That’s not how these scams and not how these advertisements work.

These scams and these advertisements focus on you, and on things that you fear.

They’ll use words like “virus!” or “hacker!” to hook you.

These scams and these advertisements target you, not your iPhone.

Websites cannot scan your iPhone. Websites cannot do what they claim. If websites could do that—scanning is very intrusive and requires more access than even local iPhone apps can have—then they’d would just upload your passwords and your data. But they can’t. So they try to fool you into doing something against your own best interests.

Here is a blue-text link to some tips for avoiding the most common of these scams, and for recognizing some of the most common of these sketchy advertisements:

…Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Again, your iPhone is fine.

Aleehadilawer wrote:

how do I get rid of them??

As has been mentioned before, your iPhone is fine. There’s no hack. No virus.

These websites and these advertisements —these are advertisements, not diagnostics—cannot scan your iPhone.

These websites and these advertisement cannot do what they claim.

If websites could do that—scanning is very intrusive and requires more access than even local iPhone apps can have—then they’d would just upload your passwords and your data. But they can’t. Browsers fundamentally block the access these advertisers claim. So the advertisers try to fool you into doing something against your own best interests. They lie. As sketchy advertisers do.

Here is a blue-text link to some tips for avoiding the most common of these scams, and for recognizing some of the most common of these sketchy advertisements:

…Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Again, your iPhone is fine.

delgerbat_d wrote:

What is it. How to decide

As has been mentioned before, your iPhone is fine. There’s no hack. No virus.

These websites and these advertisements —these are advertisements, not diagnostic tools—cannot scan your iPhone.

These websites and these advertisement cannot do what they claim.

If websites could do that—scanning is very intrusive and requires more access than even local iPhone apps can have—then they’d would just upload your passwords and your data. But they can’t. Browsers fundamentally block the access these advertisers claim. So the advertisers try to fool you into doing something against your own best interests. They lie. As sketchy advertisers do.

Here is a blue-text link to some tips for avoiding the most common of these scams, and for recognizing some of the most common of these sketchy advertisements:

…Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Again, your iPhone is fine.

Sue_len_2000 wrote:

ive just got one on my iPhone very similar wording but had a link and phone number! I just closed it and came to apples site for info just in case it was apple and I had got a virus 😂 as I assumed it was a con

It’s a scam. Given the inclusion of a telephone number, this one is probably a “tech support” scam. Lots and lots of these scams around, too; via pop-ups, email, text messages, phone calls, etc.

EddyEnmanuel wrote:

Hello, my iPad got some viruses, how can I eliminate them, can you help me?

As has been mentioned before, your iPad is fine. There’s no hack. No virus.

These websites and these advertisements —these are advertisements, not diagnostic tools—cannot scan your iPad.

These websites and these advertisement cannot do what they claim.

If websites could do that—scanning is very intrusive and requires more access than even local iPad apps can have—then they’d would just upload your passwords and your data. But they can’t. Browsers fundamentally block the access these advertisers claim. So the advertisers try to fool you into doing something against your own best interests. They lie. As sketchy advertisers do.

Here is a blue-text link to some tips for avoiding the most common of these scams, and for recognizing some of the most common of these sketchy advertisements:

…Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Again, your iPad is fine.