Fake Google Chrome Update

Update Google Chrome Scam: How It Works

What browser do you have installed on your device? Chrome, Safari, Mozilla, or even Internet Explorer? Is there any other one? Please beware of the latest scam involving Chrome, although it is a straightforward trick that could easily lure you into compromising your device by using the other ones. Let's look at how it works and how you can avoid it.

Imagine this scenario: You're navigating the Internet using your Chrome browser. As you're reading the latest news on your favorite site, suddenly, an urgent message pops up, warning that you are using an older version of Chrome. Did you ever get that?

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Here is a screenshot of the bogus notification:

Under the ‘old version' notification message, there is also a convenient green button (or red, sometimes) labeled – you guessed it – “Update Chrome.” As you can assume, clicking that button won't update your Chrome browser. Instead, it will infect your machine with one or more dangerous viruses. It happens all the time these days, so beware.

The scam is not pulled by the official Chrome extension – as many users may wrongly think – but by random cybercrooks trying to get into your device.

The screenshot above features the most current fake Chrome update notice version. If you see a pop-up similar to this pop-up on your computer, don't click it. It could show on your mobile screen, too.

Please close your browser immediately, reopen it, and then clear Chrome's browser cache. If you don't know how, don't worry – there is how below.

Fake Google Chrome Update: How To Avoid

As a rule of thumb, you should regularly check to ensure you have the latest updates installed, whether about Chrome or any other extension. How to?

You can do that easily from Chrome's “Customize and Control” menu. Here are the steps you need to take:

1. Launch your Chrome browser.
2. Select the Customize and Control icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window, usually three vertical dots.
3. Choose Help, then select About Google Chrome.

At this point, your Chrome browser will check to see if any uninstalled updates are available. If that's the case, they will be installed automatically.

If it makes it easier, watch the clip below to see how to update your Google Chrome:

Google Chrome Scam: How To Report

Warn your family and friends about the fake Google Chrome Update by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. However, you can report scammers and any suspicious activity officially to the Federal Trade Commission (most important), the Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Internet Complaint Center by using the pages below:

Report To The FTC
Submit Claim To The Office of the Inspector General
Report To The FBI Internet Complaints Center

How To Prevent Identity Theft and More

If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams periodically, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive weekly emails – we promise not to spam.

Meanwhile, educate yourself with some other fraud-related articles featured right under this paragraph, so that you can protect yourself in many other aspects and niches. Last but not least, use the comments section below to expose other online scammers.

Here are some must-reads for the end:

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