Other LanguagesIf your computer is running Microsoft Windows and you haven’t downloaded on the latest patches and updates, you may be exposed to a type of scam that uses Windows Messenger Service pop-ups.
We filed a lawsuit today accusing a Scottsdale, Ariz., man of coercing consumers to buy software to block computer pop-ups by first bombarding them with ads for pornography and Viagra. The suit alleges that computers capable of receiving Windows Messenger Service pop-ups, also known as Net Send messages, were vulnerable to the attacks. Windows Messenger Service, not to be confused with the instant-messaging program Windows Live Messenger, is primarily designed for use on a network and allows administrators to send notices to users. It comes preinstalled with some versions of Windows. Service Pack 2 disables the feature in computers running Windows XP. Windows Vista users are not susceptible.
Assistant Attorney General Katherine Tassi, who is overseeing the case, said the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection High-Tech Unit has seen a trend in deceptive advertising to sell software.
“We’ve seen individuals and companies inundate consumers with Internet pop-up ads and Net Send services that frequently resemble system alerts,” Tassi said. “Their intent is to pressure consumers to buy a product that will supposedly protect a computer from pop-ups, viruses or spyware. Many consumers wind up paying for a program that is essentially worthless or may even leave the computer more vulnerable to malware.”
The suit accuses Ron Cook, owner of Messenger Solutions, LLC, of violating Washington’s Computer Spyware Act and Consumer Protection Act while marketing programs under the names Messenger Blocker, WinAntiVirus Pro 2007, System Doctor and WinAntiSpyware. We allege that consumers who downloaded the software were further victimized when the program caused their computers to stealthily blast messages to other PCs at a rate of one every two seconds.
“Our suit alleges that it wasn’t enough for Ron Cooke to manipulate consumers into buying his software,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said. “His program maliciously turns victims’ computers into spamming machines.”