Norton Setup Error Scams - How to remove

Fake Norton Setup Errors and activation pages are being spread online. These warnings have nothing to do with the real Norton; they’re created by tech support scammers. Scammers are using these Norton Setup Error alerts to scare people into contacting them. Their goal is to convince people to give them access to their personal computers.

About the Setup Error scam:

Classification	Tech support scam.
Dangers posed by the scam	Personal information being stolen, scammers getting access to your PC.
How the Setup Error scam spreads	Promoted by malicious programs and adware infections, appears in misleading internet search results, distributed with malicious spam emails.
How to protect yourself from the Norton Setup Error scam	Find and remove all malware with antivirus tools (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, Malwarebytes, others).

The Setup Error warning is fake

The alert impersonates Norton

The Norton Setup Error scam impersonates Norton, a well-known cybersecurity company. Then the page claims that there’s been a problem with starting the setup process for Norton antivirus – that your key was redeemed successfully but that there’s some kind of an issue still. The page encourages you to call a phone number to solve this “Error”.

Thank you for choosing Norton

Download and set up your protection

Unexpected Error – N0740E

Your Product key has been redeemed but there was some issues starting the setup automatically.

Please Call Support at+1-850-846-3124 (US)

Use your account to enter a product key, manage your subscription, set up your Norton protection, and extend your protection to PC, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.

Since Norton is a well-known antivirus brand, even people who don’t have this antivirus tool installed might be caught by the scam.

It’s not a real Norton alert

However, if you scroll down a bit, you can see a disclaimer lurking at the bottom of the page: the Setup Error page belongs to an “independent support provider” that apparently has no business association with Norton.

In other words, the Norton Setup Error page has nothing to do with the company it’s impersonating. (It’s very common for scams to impersonate famous companies, such as Amazon, Facebook, and Apple.) The Norton Error page exists to scare people into believing that it’s a real error, even though there might be nothing wrong with their computer.

Indeed, a random website has no way of knowing about any activation or setup difficulties that you might have with your software. Product activation is usually done within your program and not on a website. Errors would also likely be shown by your program, not online.

How tech support scams work

How the Norton Setup Error scam harms people

If you were to call the given phone number, the person on the other side would tell you that there’s a problem with your device and that they need access to it in order to fix it. The scammer might ask you to go to Fastsupport or a similar site to allow remote access to your computer. The scammer would then take control over your computer, show you event logs and fake error messages to make it seem like it’s infected.

Then they might install spyware and other malware on it. They might also steal files.

Unlike real tech support specialists, tech support scammers don’t provide a useful service; they make up problems and then pretend to fix them. They charge large fees and some even threaten to harm your computer if you don’t pay.

How fake error pages spread

There are a few ways you might encounter a fake Norton Error page:

• Internet search results. If you search for a way to activate your antivirus, some of the search results might lead to fake sites.
• Typosquatting. Some malicious sites are set up on addresses that are slightly misspelled versions of the page they’re impersonating.
• Malware. Bad browser add-ons and adware infections can redirect to malicious sites.
• Malicious emails. Spam emails say that your Norton subscription has expired and link to a scam website.

Some fake Norton activation sites ask you to type in your personal information into a form (this is similar to how the Roku activation scam works). In that case, the people behind the Norton Setup Error scam might be the ones to call you.

How to avoid the Norton Setup Error tech support scam

First, you can use ad blockers and malicious site blockers to block dangerous ads and malicious websites. It’s also a good idea to scan your computer with antivirus apps, such as Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, Malwarebytes, or others. Antivirus apps can help you make sure that there’s no adware or other malware on your device.

If you come across Norton Setup Error pages or something similar and aren’t sure what to do, ask for help online. Community forums and support staff can help you with any questions that you have.

If you found that you fell for a tech support scam, remove all the software that scammers installed and scan your device with antivirus tools. And if the scammers call you again, it is safest to ignore them.

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