MalWare Removal Forum

Federal prosecutors have accused three men of running an operation that used fraudulent ads to dupe internet users around the world into buying more than $100m worth of bogus anti-virus software.

The defendants operated companies including Innovative Marketing and Byte Hosting Internet Services, which perpetuated an elaborate scheme that tricked internet publishers into posting malware-laced ads on their websites, according to an indictment filed Wednesday. The banners allegedly presented messages falsely claiming visitors' computers contained dangerous malware and other defects that could be fixed by purchasing software that cost from $30 to $70.