Scareware instances have increased by 660% over the past 2 years and 400% in the last 12 months. And it’s no coincidence – there is some serious cash to be made here.

According to Francois Paget, a security research expert with McAfee Labs, “one company known as ‘Innovative Marketing’ made an estimated $180 million through these scams in one year, and more than four million consumers purchased their fake security software thinking it was real.”

Scareware has been around since as early as 1991, but has only grown “legs” in the last few years – now that users know they NEED to protect their computer, criminals are taking advantage of it. And it’s paying off (ergo it will continue).

Don’t let it happen to you or your users, check out this quick guide on how to protect yourself from these types of attacks and stay safe out there!