Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam - How to remove

Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen is one of the newest technical support scams, claiming that hackers have attempted to get access to users’ personal logins and bank information. It is stated that Firewall has managed to block this suspicious connection. However, users are still encouraged to keep track of their banking accounts and other types of personal information.

Even though this Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen states that this is an urgent matter, we have a different opinion. As it was mentioned, this pop-up is a perfect example of a technical support scam (Microsoft: Tech support scams rose by 24% in 2017, costing some victims thousands of dollars). As you might know, we have been detecting numerous similar attempts to trick users: Chrome Security Warning and Windows Firewall warning alert.

Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen could be designed to steal your bank information or to infect you with harmful computer viruses

The best protection against social engineering scams it being able to detect them. One of the first eye-catching details in the Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam is the fact that people are recommended to contact technicians via a helpline. Reputable companies do not give such instructions, and the advertised helplines will only allow potential victims to contact cyber criminals. Additionally, there are no indications of ownership in the Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen. Therefore, your suspicions should only increase.

Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam appears to have been very active in 2018. Many people reported seeing this fake pop-up during browsing and claimed that they were confused whether this message is legitimate and should be taken seriously. Security researchers from Symantec and other companies have taken their time to inform users that Google Chrome Critical ERROR message is nothing but a fraudulent notification, hoping that naïve people will call the recommended number of +1 (800) 806-9812.

By calling the latter number, people will be greeted by scammers, claiming to be associated with various security organizations like Microsoft. However, you should not fall for this trick. Alleged specialists can require many things, but they are mostly interested in remote access to computers and users’ personal information. It could be that the controllers of Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam will promise victims to fix all issues in compromised computer. However, this can only be done if they people allow “specialists” to get remote access. Instead of helping you get rid of a virus, they could infect your operating system with Trojans, ransomware or other types of malware (The technical support scam and how to avoid it).

Comparison To Other Scam Campaigns

Probably the best method to prove that Google Chrome Critical ERROR is a scam – compare it to other notorious scam campaigns. We have done that and this is pretty obvious because most of them share the same qualities.

Scam Name	Features	Consequences
ERROR # MS-SYSINFO32	pops-up as an advertisement	tricks users into calling fake technical support
Your System Is Infected With 3 Viruses!	displayed as a warning message on various websites	endorses buying a rogue application that should solve the problem
Customer Service Survey	dislayed by adware infections	collects private information

Stealing Banking Account Details

Another reason behind Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam is simple: users’ banking account details. Scammers could insist that people reveal their bank information to them. In other cases, they might require steep prices for the services they have provided. Some crooks could require hundreds of dollars. Obviously, you should not give money to unknown sources, especially the ones that are requiring money over the phone. Take a look at a few reports from people who have been exposed to the Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam:

“This red screen that says “Google chrome critical error” keeps popping up when I’m using Chrome! It happens on any website. It has happened on Ebay.com which I assume is a safe website. It’s really annoying and I’m wondering why WINDOWS DEFENDER DOES NOTHING???”

“About an hour ago I was on Chrome reading an article and my hand slipped and I clicked on an entertainment article. Almost immediately a red rectangle popped up with the Google Chrome Critical Error screen with the phone number: 855-247-2962.”

“I opened up Google Chrome today and was presented with a red screen with the text below:
There is no indication where this is message is from or where the “Help Desk” is. Has anyone else seen this? Without more information, I’m not inclined to call the number. I performed a Norton Power Eraser scan which completed with errors, but seems to have stopped the Help Desk screen from coming up. I’d appreciate any information you might have!”

Why is this Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen displayed to me?

From the reports above, you can see that some people saw this rogue message after clicking on a suspicious link. If you visit random websites, you can be frequently exposed to potentially malware-laden content. Nevertheless, this is not the only reason for Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam to be displayed on your screen. Your computer might actually be infected with malware, but we can guarantee that contacting the advertised number in the message won’t solve this issue. You must run a scan with an anti-malware tool like Spyhunter. They will find the malicious file, triggering the Google Chrome Critical ERROR red screen.

Also, you can follow the instructions below and do it by yourself. If you have encountered some kind of difficulties, you can always ask us for help in the comments section below and we will do our best to help you.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from macOS

Delete Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam. Click on the trash bin icon next to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Google Chrome Critical ERROR scam, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.