Fake Alert "MacOS is infected with Spyware..." - How to remove

“MacOS is infected” is a warning that claims that your Mac is in danger and that you must call a phone number to fix it. However, the “MacOS is infected” alert is fake, meant only to trick you into contacting scammers who pretend to be Apple Support. These scammers want to pretend to fix your computer so that they can charge you money.

When you see a “MacOS is infected” warning, don’t interact with it – just close it. The alert itself is not dangerous, as long as you ignore it.

In short about “MacOS is infected”:

Threat type	Scam.
What the “MacOS is infected” alert looks like	It pretends to come from Apple Support, it claims that your Mac is infected and tells you to contact a phone number.
Dangers of the scam	Lost time and money, unnecessary stress, stolen personal information.
How to remove the “MacOS is infected” pop-up	Close the webpage, scan your device for threats (with Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, others).

What is the “MacOS is infected” warning?

A fake security alert

The “MacOS is infected” warning is a variation of the Your System Is Infected With 3 Viruses! scam. It’s a webpage that appears on your screen completely unexpectedly. It hijacks your mouse cursor while a generated voice loudly tells you that your information is supposedly being stolen. It’s quite overwhelming.

The “MacOS is infected” pop-up says that your Mac is infected with Spyware and that you must call “Apple Support”; the phone number given to contact this “Apple Support” is a random number that is not affiliated with Apple:

MacOS is infected with spyware and other malicious applications.

Spyware must be removed and system damage repaired.

It is necessary to Call Apple Support [phone number] and follow Virus removal procedure immediately, please proceed.

**If you leave this site your Mac OS will remain damaged and vulnerable**

As you can see, the “MacOS is infected” alert also threatens that if you ignore it, your computer will be hurt somehow.

A tech support scam

This “MacOS is infected” alert is fake. It’s a page used by scammers to try and get people to call the provided phone number. It is not targeted – it’s a pop-up ad that’s spread online indiscriminately. It shows the same warning for each and every visitor. The scammers behind this scam only want one thing: to scare people into contacting them.

The goal of the “MacOS is infected” scam is to convince people that their computer is in danger and that the warning is a genuine Apple Support warning. Calling the given phone number connects you to a scammer who pretends to be an official Apple Support representative. The scammer wants a few things:

• for you to give them remote access to your Mac by installing remote access software,
• to convince you that your Mac is infected with spyware and other malicious software,
• to have you pay money (possibly hundreds of dollars) to have this (nonexistent) spyware removed,
• scammers want to access your computer because they might want to take some of your personal files.

Overall, the “MacOS is infected” warning itself is not harmful. It is frustrating and scary, but it’s not directly dangerous. However, if you call the given phone number or follow any other instructions given by the “MacOS is infected” scam, then you might be put in danger.

How to remove the “MacOS is infected” scam

Remove malware

Get rid of the warning by closing the browser tab. You can do this simply by pressing the ‘X’ button at the top of your browser, on the card of the current page. If the “MacOS is infected” alert has locked your browser, then check out this post – it has a few suggestions for closing persistent malicious webpages. You can close the browser tab, quit the browser, etc.

If you did contact the scammers, then it’s a bit more complicated. Did you install some software that the scammers told you to install? If yes, then remove it as quickly as possible. Did you provide your payment details? If you did, then check your bank account and consider asking your bank for help (after all, you can’t trust a scammer to not abuse your payment info).

It’s also recommended to scan your device with an anti-malware program, such as Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, and others. This is for a few reasons:

• fake security alerts like “MacOS is infected” sometimes offer fake or malicious apps,
• malicious ads may be caused by adware viruses,
• malicious ads tend to show up on websites that show other malicious ads that might also cause infection.

Avoid malicious ads

Pirating and adult sites are very likely to show malicious ads. If you see one bad advertisement, it’s likely that you were exposed to a few others, which is why it’s important to keep your device safe.

Avoid malicious ads by using anti-malware apps or ad blockers: they can block some malicious websites for you.

When it comes to “MacOS is infected” and other fake security alerts, just remember that any pop-up ads and browser tabs that say that your Mac is in danger are probably lying. If you’re unsure, just contact the real Apple by going to Support.apple.com or reach out to the Apple community on Discussions.apple.com. In fact, someone already has asked about the “MacOS is infected” scam there and got a swift answer: it’s a scam (Discussions.apple.com).

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