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I received an alarm to call a number and it would cost me to have something cleaned from an "infected site" I think it was "vine", I am not sure if legit.

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I was looking at something on Vine (i think) and a firefox message popped up about getting my computer cleaned to protect my information and not to shop on internet until my computer was cleaned. I was supposed to call the following number 844-335-5149. I do believe this is probably a scam but I need to be sure?

I was looking at something on Vine (i think) and a firefox message popped up about getting my computer cleaned to protect my information and not to shop on internet until my computer was cleaned. I was supposed to call the following number 844-335-5149. I do believe this is probably a scam but I need to be sure?

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Don't call them. That's the most annoying kind of scareware advertising and I would not trust them to help you with any kind of free or low cost solution.

Here's my suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons, hijackers, and ad injectors. I know it seems long, but it's not that bad.

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program. After the list loads, click the "Installed on" column heading to group the infections, I mean, additions, by date. This can help in smoking out undisclosed bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Be suspicious of everything you do not recognize/remember, as malware often uses important or innocent sounding names to discourage you from removing it. Take out as much trash as possible here.

(2) Open Firefox's Add-ons page using either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
  • in the Windows "Run" dialog, type or paste
    firefox.exe "about:addons"

In the left column, click Plugins. Set nonessential and unrecognized plugins to "Never Activate".

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions. Bear in mind that all extensions are optional, none come with Firefox, and you can learn more about them by checking their reviews on the Add-ons site.

Often a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any improvement?

(3) You can search for remaining issues with the scanning/cleaning tools listed in our support article: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.

Success?