The “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” Tech Support Scam

The “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” page is a browser-based scam that displays fake error messages to trick you into calling a Tech Support Scam phone number.

What is the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” alert?

The “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” fake error message is a scam that pretends to be from Microsoft to trick you into thinking that your computer has crashed or that a virus has been detected. It does this to try and scare you into calling one of the listed numbers to receive support.
If you call these phone numbers, scammers will ask you to install a program that gives them remote access to your computer. Using remote access, these experienced scammers rely on confidence tricks typically involving utilities built into Windows (eg. Event Viewer) to gain your trust and trick you into paying for “support” services or even steal credit card account information.

The “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam will put your browser on full-screen mode and display pop-up messages that won’t go away, essentially locking your browser. If this happens, you can use the Windows Task Manager to close your browser and stop this pop-up.

1. Open the “Task Manager” by right-clicking the taskbar and then selecting Task Manager. You can also open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard and then selecting Task Manager.
   
2. Scroll through the list until you see your web browser’s process and left-click on it once so it becomes highlighted. Once you have selected the browser’s process, click on the End Task button as shown in the image below.
   
3. Your browser window should now be closed. The next time you open your browser, do not allow the browser to open the last opened page.

This is the fake error message that the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” page will display:

Ads.fiancetrack(07).dllMicrosoft
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code: #0x268d3(00×7)
Access to this PC has been blocked for security reasons.
Contact Microsoft Support: +1-888-489-8832

Threat_Detected – Pornographic_Spyware
App: Ads.financetrack(1).exe

As you can imagine, the above alert is not real and its purpose is to scare you into allowing the scammer remote access to your computer. If your browser has been redirected to the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam, we recommend closing the page and do not call the listed phone number.

Why am I seeing the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” pop-up ads?

You are seeing the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam because your device is infected with malware, malicious push notifications, or a site you have visited has redirected your browser.

Less than reputable sites can display malicious ads that redirect your browser to the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam to generate advertising revenue. If this happens, you can close the page and install an ad blocker like AdGuard to block the malicious ads. However, if you are continuously seeing pop-ups like the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam, then your computer might be infected with a malicious program and you need to scan your device for adware and remove it.

Here are a few typical signs that you have a malicious program installed on your computer:

• Advertisements appear in places they shouldn’t be.
• Your web browser’s homepage has mysteriously changed without your permission.
• Web pages that you typically visit are not displaying properly.
• Website links redirect to sites different from what you expected.
• Browser popups appear which recommend fake updates or other software.
• Other unwanted programs might get installed without your knowledge.

For the most part, if you see a browser-based tech support scam, then you can simply close the browser and start it again. On the other hand, if you are continuously seeing scams like the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” scam, then you should scan your computer for adware and remove anything that is found.

How to Remove “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” Fake Alerts

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy-to-understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubts at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.

• STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam
• STEP 2: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malware
• STEP 3: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies
• STEP 4: Reset your web browser to its original settings to remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam

STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam

In this first step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

1. Download Malwarebytes for Windows.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program on, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
   

   On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.

   

   When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.

4. Click on “Scan”.

   Malwarebytes is now installed on your computer, to start a scan click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs.

   

5. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

   

6. Click on “Quarantine”.

   When the Malwarebytes scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays any malware, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that it has detected. To remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.

   

7. Restart computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 2: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam

In this next step, we will scan the computer with HitmanPro to ensure that no other malicious programs are installed on your device.

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is no limit on scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the clean up.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

   

   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that it has found. Click on the “Next” button to have HitmanPro remove the detected items.

   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   HitmanPro may now require to activate the free 30-days trial to remove the malicious files. To do this, click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, it will display a screen that shows the status of the various programs that were removed. At this screen, you should click on the Next button and then if prompted you should click on the Reboot button. If HitmanPro does not prompt you to reboot, please just click on the Close button.

STEP 3: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies

In this third step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies that might be set on your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix the side effects of browser hijackers.

1. Download AdwCleaner.

   You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   

   AdwCleaner program will now open and you will be presented with the program’s license agreement. After you read it, click on the I agree button if you wish to continue. If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies” to remove malicious browser policies.

   When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Click on the “Scan” button.

   On the left side of the AdwCleaner window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan” to perform a computer scan.

   

5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to finish.

   AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes.

   

6. Click on “Quarantine” to remove malware.

   When the AdwCleaner scan is completed it will display all of the items it has found. Click on the “Quarantine” button to remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam and other malicious programs from your computer.

   

7. Click on “Continue” to start malware removal.

   AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to close any open programs before it starts to clean. Click on the “Continue” button to finish the removal process.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. When the malware removal process is complete, you can close AdwCleaner and continue with the rest of the next steps from this guide.

STEP 4: Reset your web browser to its original settings to remove the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam

If you are still having problems with the “Threat Detected: Trojan Spyware” tech support scam then you should also reset your browsers back to their default configuration. Please note that this method will remove all extensions, toolbars, and other customizations but will leave your bookmarks and favorites intact. For each browser that you have installed on your computer, please click on the browsers tab below and follow the displayed steps to reset that browser.