This article has been created to explain what is the fake tech support scam showing the message “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” on your Mac.
A new tech support scam has been going around locking Macs and showing a scareware message, titled “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED”. The scam aims to appear intrusively on the victims’ web browser and should not be trusted. The main reason for that is that it belongs to a well-known Tech Support scam organization, which is believed to come from India. The scam involves tricking victims into calling fake tech support employees that pretend to fix problems on victims’ computers only to get them to pay money. If you see the “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” tech support scam message, we advise that you read this article as it aims to try and help you remove it and remove any unwanted program that may be causing it to appear on your Mac.
Threat Summary
| Name | “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED" |
| Type | Tech Support Scam |
| Short Description | May show fake tech support messages that claim your Mac is at risk by a specific error and you should immeidately call tech support to fix it.. |
| Symptoms | Your browser is halted by a fake “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” warning message that also includes a voice warning.. |
| Distribution Method | Caused by an adware program, a virus or a website that caused a redirect to it. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED" Download Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED". |
“YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” Mac Scam – Distribution
There are two primary strategies that are used by the crooks to spread these types of scams across victim Macs. One of those is for the scammers to use compromised WordPress websites which have a sufficient user base. In those sites, the scammers may embed a JavaScript redirection, which is then used to cause a redirect each time you visit the compromised website. The redirect may infect your Mac with real malware, extract information from it by cookies, but it’s main goal is to show you the “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” scam message.
But if you see other advertisements on your browser besides the “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” notification, then the issue may be more serious than it is. The main reason for those advertisements may be a potentially unwanted program that is running actively on your Mac. These types of adware-infested apps often pretend to be free and helpful while they are advertised as “free extras” or “optional offers” via bundling, but be aware that they are classified as potentially unwanted, because they are indirectly harmful since they advertise URLs, like “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED”. These programs may often slither on your Mac unnoticed, because the come alongside the installers of other freeware apps downloaded from third-party sites, like your favorite web browser, torrent tracker or any other similar free app.
“YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” – Purpose and Activity
When your browser is hijacked by this tech support scam, the first thing that you will notice is it’s tech support scam note, which looks like the following:
The message also comes together with a pop-up that is difficult to close and has the following notification text:
YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED
Error #DT00X02
Call Apple Technical Support +1-855-893-6999 (Toll-Free):
Do Not Ignore This Important Warning
If you close this page without resolving issue, access to your computer will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.
Your computer has alerted us that it was infected with virus and spyware. The following data is at risk:
1. Facebook Login
2. Credit Card Information
3. Email Credentials
4. Browsing History and Data
You must contact us immediately so our engineers can guide you though the recovery process by phone. Please call us within the next 5 minutes to prevent compete loss of your computer.
Contact Apple Engineer +1-855-893-6999 (Toll-Free)
The scam may also be accompanied by a voice message, that further scares victims that their Credit Card Data, Facebook and other important credentials are compromised and if the victim does not call the number provided in several minutes, their Mac may be shut down and locked by the “security experts”. All of these are scare tactics to get you as a victim to call the scammers and provide them with access to your Mac, which will result in the actual leaking of your infromation in it while they may pretend to fix a virus on your Mac. But leaking is the least of your worries, because the scammers also want you to pay them hundreds of dollars in order to fix the supposed issues on your Mac, that do not even exist.
And not only this, but we have also done a check up on the fake tech support number on the website Scammer.info(https://www.scammer.info/d/11124-1-855-893-6999-fake-popup) and not to our surprise, the number popped out as tech support scam one as victims reported it. One user on the site tehcscammersunited.com has reported the following:
ScammerRevolts YouTuber
10d
Just found this popup which is different but still has the same number.
Number: +1-855-893-6999
Link: hxxps://silvertechsolutions.tk/nintyfourty/onenintytwenty/firiedge
Domain is hosted with namecheap
Remove “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” from Your Mac
If you are preparing to remove the “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” from your Mac, we recommend that you follow the removal instructions below. They are created with the main purpose to help you to try and delete any unwanted programs that may be associated with the pop-ups. In addition to this, the “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED” virus could also be removed with the aid of an advanced mac cleanup software which will take care of any problems that might be causing it and other pop-ups to appear on your Mac, which is what many security experts often advise as being the best removal method to go for.
Manually delete “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED" from your Mac
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
Automatically remove “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED" from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as “YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED", the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Nice post
Thanks