{"id":3992,"date":"2023-07-28T08:36:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T08:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cleanerone.trendmicro.com\/blog\/?p=3992"},"modified":"2024-08-21T18:00:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T18:00:27","slug":"remove-fake-mcafee-virus-pop-ups-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleanerone.trendmicro.com\/blog\/remove-fake-mcafee-virus-pop-ups-mac\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Rid of Fake McAfee Virus Pop-Ups on Mac?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you received a pop-up with the McAfee logo claiming that your protection from viruses has expired? Be careful! It may be fake. To learn how to identify and remove these annoying pop-ups, keep on reading.<\/p>\n

Before we start, it is recommended that you download Antivirus One<\/strong><\/a>\u2014a professional and reliable antivirus tool.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u00a0can remove the fake McAfee pop-ups from your Mac and protect you from other types of malware and online threats. Check below for more info on Antivirus One<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is the fake McAfee virus pop-up?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The fake McAfee virus pop-up scam is designed to trick users into landing on a phishing page and inadvertently handing over sensitive personal and financial info. The bogus pop-up looks like an official notice from McAfee, warning about an expired subscription.<\/p>\n

By telling people they\u2019re no longer protected against viruses, the scammers behind the pop-up are trying to get people to click the \u201cGet protection\u201d button, because who wants to accept the risk of viruses, right?<\/p>\n

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However, clicking the \u201cGet protection\u201d button leads to a fake, scammer-controlled subscription renewal page. On this page, the scammers want you to enter your personal and financial info, including your name, address, and credit card details. With your info, the scammers could commit any number of cybercrimes, and even potentially leak or sell it on the dark web.<\/p>\n

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How to identify the McAfee virus pop-up scam?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although the pop-ups look very convincing, with the correct McAfee logo and color scheme, if you don\u2019t have an active McAfee subscription, they\u2019re guaranteed to be bogus.<\/p>\n

However, if you do have an active McAfee subscription, to rule out any doubt that the pop-ups are legitimate, it\u2019s best to open your McAfee app and check if your subscription is still active or not. If it\u2019s active, then you know for sure the pop-up is a scam.<\/p>\n

In either case, if the pop-ups are confirmed to be fake, it means your Mac may be infected with malware. In this case, you can download Antivirus One<\/strong><\/a> to solve all these malware problems at once and effortlessly. Also, you can follow the cleaning tutorial below.<\/p>\n

How to remove fake McAfee virus pop-ups?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It can be difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the fake McAfee virus pop-ups. They could have infected your Mac via a number of methods, including rouge programs, malicious websites, spam emails, or pop-up advertisements. However, what\u2019s important is to know how to remove them. Here\u2019s what you need to do:<\/p>\n

Step 1: Close the pop-up<\/h3>\n

Clicking the \u201cAccept risk\u201d button may not close down the pop-up. You may need to find and click a small \u201cX\u201d or \u201cClose\u201d button somewhere within the pop-up window. Failing that, you can press the \u201cEsc\u201d key on your keyboard to close it.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Clear and reset your browser<\/h3>\n

Fake McAfee pop-ups often come from malicious websites that you may have accidentally visited. To be on the safe side, clear your browsing history and reset your browser.<\/p>\n

Note: The instructions below are for Chrome, but other browsers will be similar.<\/p>\n

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  1. Open Chrome and click on the three dots in the top-right corner, then \u201cSettings<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    1. In the new window that opens, select \u201cPrivacy and security<\/strong>\u201d from the left sidebar, and click \u201cClear browsing data<\/strong>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      1. Click on the \u201cAdvanced<\/strong>\u201d button, and then ensure \u201cBrowsing history<\/strong>\u201d, \u201cDownload history<\/strong>\u201d, \u201cCookies and other site data<\/strong>\u201d, and \u201cCached images and files<\/strong>\u201d are all selected.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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        1. Select the time range (e.g. \u201cLast hour<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cLast 24 hours<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cLast 7 days<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cLast 4 weeks<\/strong>,\u201d or \u201cAll time<\/strong>,\u201d). \u201cAll time<\/strong>\u201d is recommended if you\u2019re not sure when you may have visited a malicious website or done anything that lead to the fake McAfee pop-ups.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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          1. Hit \u201cclear data<\/strong>\u201d to confirm your choices.<\/li>\n
          2. After that, click \u201cReset settings<\/strong>\u201d from the left sidebar, and click on the banner that reads \u201cRestore settings to the original defaults<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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            1. Then you\u2019ll see a pop-up asking you to confirm that you want to continue this process. Click the blue \u201cReset settings<\/strong>\u201d button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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              Step 3: Block push notifications<\/h3>\n

              If you are plagued by the constant appearance of scam pop-ups, you can disable push notifications. Doing so prevents malicious websites from sending you pop-ups, thus further improving your browsing experience.<\/p>\n

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              1. Open Chrome and click on the three dots in the top-right corner, then \u201cSettings<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                2. Go to \u201cPrivacy and security<\/strong>\u201d and select \u201cSite settings<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

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                1. Scroll down to the \u201cNotifications<\/strong>\u201d section. For any website that you no longer want to receive notifications from, click the three dots next to it, then click \u201cRemove<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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                  1. Alternatively, in this \u201cNotifications<\/strong>\u201d section, if you want to disable all notifications, you can simply select the \u201cDon\u2019t allow sites to send notifications<\/strong>\u201d option.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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                    1. In addition, when you return to \u201cSite settings<\/strong>\u201d, you can scroll down to \u201cPop-ups and redirects<\/strong>\u201d and select the \u201cDon\u2019t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects<\/strong>\u201d option.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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                       <\/p>\n

                      Step 4: Remove malware and unwanted programs with Antivirus One<\/h3>\n

                      Antivirus One offers live antivirus monitoring to protect your Mac from adware<\/a>, ransomware, spyware, and all other kinds of malware. If there are persistent fake McAfee virus pop-ups on your device or you think you might\u2019ve accidentally downloaded something malicious after clicking on a fake virus alert, you can use Antivirus One to run a comprehensive scan and restore your Mac to full health. But best of all, you can get it for FREE!<\/p>\n

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                      Here are some of Antivirus One\u2019s awesome features:<\/p>\n