A Chrome notification claims your computer has a virus

A website can use Chrome notifications to display alarming messages even when its page is closed. Scammers can exploit a previously granted permission to show a fake antivirus warning with a phone number or payment link. The alert's operating-system appearance does not prove it came from your antivirus. The safest first move is to identify the sender in Chrome and remove that site's notification permission, then check the device separately if there are genuine symptoms.

Before you start​

Do not click the notification, phone the number, grant remote access or buy software from its link. Note the exact site name shown in the alert if visible. Open Chrome independently. If the message mentions a specific installed security product, use that product's own app or official website to check its status, not the alert's button.

Do it step by step​

1. Open Chrome Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, then Notifications. Review sites allowed to send notifications and find the suspicious origin. Check spelling; scammers may imitate a familiar domain.
2. Remove or block that site's permission. If you do not want site alerts at all, change the default notification setting, but preserve trusted work or accessibility notifications if needed.
3. Review other unfamiliar allowed sites. Remove only those you do not recognize or no longer need, then close Chrome and wait to see whether the false alert stops.
4. Open Chrome Safety Check and inspect potentially harmful extensions, unwanted notifications, updates and Safe Browsing. Do not install a third-party cleaner advertised by the notification.
5. If pop-up tabs, changed search engine or extensions also appear, inspect Chrome extensions and system-installed apps. Google's unwanted-software guidance treats recurring redirects as a broader problem than notifications alone.
6. If you clicked the message or entered a password, change the affected account password from a trusted device, review sessions and MFA, and contact the payment provider if you supplied a card. Preserve the message URL for a report.

Check the result​

The suspicious origin no longer has notification permission and the fake alerts stop. Chrome and the actual security product show their own status independently; no payment or remote-access session was initiated from the pop-up.

If something goes wrong​

If the alert continues, check whether it comes from another browser profile, extension, installed application or operating-system notification center. If permissions reappear, investigate unwanted software or a managed policy. If malware symptoms persist, use trusted system security tools and seek competent help.

Know the limit​

Blocking notifications does not remove malware that may already be installed. Conversely, a fake notification is not evidence the device is infected. Browser pop-ups, website notifications and genuine security-software alerts have different origins; identify which one you are handling before deleting files or resetting the browser. Chrome notifications Google unwanted-software guidance Chrome Safety Check