How to remove “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-up scam

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What is “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-up scam

Virus Alert (05261) pop-up scam is a deceptive online threat that masquerades as a legitimate system alert, falsely claiming that a user’s operating system has been compromised. It appears primarily on compromised websites and through rogue online advertisements, preying on users’ fears about their computer security. Cybercriminals use this ruse to manipulate victims into believing their devices are infected or locked, prompting them to seek help from fake tech support services. This scam can lead to severe consequences, including unauthorized access to personal information, financial losses, and the installation of malware on the victim’s device. Once users interact with these pop-ups, they may be persuaded to call fraudulent support numbers or download harmful software under the guise of legitimate assistance. Vulnerable data such as login credentials, financial details, and personally identifiable information can be exploited by the scammers, resulting in identity theft and further exploitation. In essence, trusting the “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-up can lead to a cascade of security issues, financial damage, and long-term privacy concerns.

How “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-up scam infected your computer

The Virus Alert (05261) tech support scam primarily infects computers by exploiting user trust through deceptive pop-up messages that mimic legitimate system alerts. Once users encounter these pop-ups, they are misled into believing their operating system has been compromised, prompting them to call a provided fake support number. Cybercriminals often utilize various techniques, such as malvertising, rogue applications, or compromised websites, to display these fraudulent alerts. By persuading victims to grant remote access to their systems, scammers can install malware, disable genuine security software, and extract sensitive personal information. Additionally, the use of social engineering tactics creates a sense of urgency, further increasing the likelihood that users will fall for the scam. Consequently, the Virus Alert (05261) scam not only jeopardizes individual privacy but also poses a significant risk of financial loss and identity theft.

1. Download Virus Alert (05261) Removal Tool
2. Remove/Uninstall programs causing Virus Alert (05261) pop-ups from Control Panel and Applications
3. Remove Virus Alert (05261)-related extensions from browsers
4. Reset browser search and homepage settings
5. Block Virus Alert (05261) ads
6. How to protect from threats causing Virus Alert (05261) ads

Remove “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-up virus manually for free

Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.

Remove program causing “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Control Panel or Applications

To start removing program, that may be a reason for “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups you should uninstall it using Control Panel. It can be present by different random names, just search for recently installed, unknown or suspicious app. It should uninstall correctly, however, we recommend you to use IObit Uninstaller to clean leftover items after uninstalling. Here are instructions for Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac.

Remove app causing “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. Unwanted program might have an Uninstaller.
3. Otherwise, drag unwanted program from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Remove program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Windows XP:

1. Click on Start button.
2. Choose Control Panel.
3. Click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program.
5. Click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Windows 7:

1. Click Start button.
2. Then go to Control Panel.
3. Click Uninstall a Program.
4. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program and click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Windows 8:

1. Hover mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner to see Menu.
2. Click Search.
3. After that click Apps.
4. Then Control Panel.
5. Click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
6. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program, click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Windows 10:

There are 2 ways to uninstall program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” from Windows 10

Way one

1. Click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Settings.
3. Click on the System tile.
4. Click Apps & features and locate unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program in the list.
5. Click on it and then click Uninstall button near it.

Way two (classic)

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Programs and Features.
3. Locate unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program in the list.
4. Click on it and then click Uninstall button above.

Remove app, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Windows 11:

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Settings.
3. Click on the Apps tab on the left side.
4. Click Apps & features and locate recently installed suspicious program in the list.
5. Click on 3-dots icon near it and then click Uninstall button near it.
6. Depending on the type of application (Windows Store app or classic Win32 app) it will be removed immediately or you will need to confirm the action and go through standard uninstall procedure.

Remove app, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from iOS:

1. Carefully inspect all apps on your iOS device.
2. Find unnecessary, unwanted or suspicious ones.
3. Tap on unwanted app and hold until additional menu appears.
4. Tap Delete App in opened menu.

Remove app, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store and choose My apps & games
2. Carefully inspect all apps on your Android device and find unnecessary, unwanted or suspicious ones.
3. Tap on unwanted app and tap Uninstall button.

Cannot uninstall program, that may cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups

In some cases, suspicious application won’t uninstall and gives you a message that “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall “Program Name”. Please, contact your system administrator” when you try to remove it from Control Panel or “Access denied” error when removing the folder and files of this app. This happens because the process or service does not allow you to do it. In this case, I will recommend you to use SpyHunter 5 or Malwarebytes or uninstall unwanted program in Safe Mode. To boot in Safe Mode do the following:

1. Reboot your computer.
2. While it starts booting press F8 button.
3. This will open Advanced Boot Options menu.
4. Choose Safe Mode and wait until Windows loads.
5. Go to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and remove unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program

>> See detailed instructions and video tutorial on how to boot in Safe Mode

and for Mac:

If you can’t uninstall app causing “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of unwanted application. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag unwanted app from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with “Virus Alert (05261)”.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers

Uninstalling programs, that generate “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups from Control Panel often does not bring the desired effect. It sometimes has browser extension and it may still be active in Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove extensions causing “Virus Alert (05261)” ads from your browsers manually.

Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Click Extensions tab.
3. Find suspicious extension.
4. Click Uninstall button to remove it.

Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://extensions.
3. Find suspicious extension.
4. Click the trash can icon to remove them.
5. Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:addons.
3. Choose suspicious extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.
5. Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.

Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):

Note: There is no feature to remove browser extensions from browser in latest version of Internet Explorer. To remove suspicious add-on from Internet Explorer, please, perform instructions for uninstalling the program from Control Panel. To disable the suspicious add-on, please, do the following:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
3. In opened menu Manage Add-ons.
4. Select Toolbars and Extensions.
5. Click Disable or Virus Alert (05261) related extension.
6. Also disable other suspicious extensions from the list.

Reset browsers settings (homepage, default search)

Here is an instruction to reset your browser’s homepage, new tab and search engine to default values and delete history, cache, and cookies.

Reset Safari on Mac:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
3. Click Remove All Website Data button.
4. In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
5. Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
6. Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
7. In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
8. Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
9. Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.

Reset Safari on iOS:

1. Go to Settings, find Safari and tap on it
2. Tap on Clear History and Website Data and confirm your action.

Reset Google Chrome on Mac or Windows:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://settings.
3. Scroll down and find Show advanced settings link.
4. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom again.
5. Click Reset browser settings button and click Reset to confirm.

Reset Google Chrome on Android:

1. On Android device go to Settings > Apps, find Chrome app and tap on it
2. Tap on Storage and tap on Manage storage button on the left.
3. Tap Clear all data and confirm your action by tapping on OK button in the next dialog box.

Reset Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:support.
3. Click Reset Firefox… button.
4. Click Reset Firefox to confirm.

Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
3. In opened menu choose Internet options.
4. Click Advanced tab.
5. Click Reset button.
6. Choose Delete personal settings and click Reset.

How to block “Virus Alert (05261)” ads and pop-ups

“Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups, in most cases, are caused by a program installed on your PC or add-on installed in browsers. However, sometimes it can appear on a clean computer when visiting a malicious website, using an advertising script. Also, apps that generate “Virus Alert (05261)” ads and banners are themselves installed from pop-ups. To protect your PC and browsers from phishing websites, pop-up ads, banners, malicious scripts it is recommended to use AdGuard. Download free trial here:

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Final tips

Be careful surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs, that cause “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups, may become a real headache as they are hard to remove and break your privacy. To keep safe from such threats we recommend you always use antivirus and one of the anti-malware programs available on the market. One of the best anti-spyware and anti-malware programs is SpyHunter 5. It can protect your PC from threats, causing “Virus Alert (05261)” pop-ups.