How to remove “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-up scam

What is “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-up scam

Windows Defender Security Scan pop-up scam is a malicious scheme designed to deceive users by displaying false alerts about their computer’s security. This scam typically manifests as a fake system scan that claims to detect serious threats, urging victims to contact a toll-free support number for assistance. Scammers exploit this tactic to create a sense of urgency, convincing users that immediate action is necessary to prevent data loss or further damage. Once victims call the provided number, they are often met with scammers posing as “Microsoft-certified technicians” who may request remote access to their devices. This access can lead to severe consequences, including unauthorized removal of legitimate security software, installation of fake antivirus programs, and theft of sensitive personal information such as passwords and financial details. Additionally, victims may incur significant financial losses through exorbitant fees for phony services or by being coerced into purchasing gift cards or cryptocurrencies. Ultimately, falling for the Windows Defender Security Scan scam can result in identity theft, malware infections, and a substantial breach of privacy.

How “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-up scam infected your computer

The “Windows Defender Security Scan” is a deceptive phishing scam designed to trick users into believing their systems are compromised. Upon visiting a malicious website, users are confronted with fake system scans that report a plethora of non-existent security threats, prompting them to call a fraudulent tech support line. Once victims engage with the scammers, they may be coerced into granting remote access to their computers, allowing the scammers to manipulate their systems. This access can lead to the installation of malware, removal of legitimate security software, and theft of sensitive information. Additionally, scammers often solicit payment for unnecessary services, leading to financial losses and identity theft. Ultimately, this scam exploits user trust in legitimate security tools, creating significant risks for unwary individuals.

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

Remove “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-up virus manually for free

Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-ups from Control Panel or Applications

To start removing program, that may be a reason for “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-ups from Windows 10:

There are 2 ways to uninstall program, that may cause “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan”.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers

Uninstalling programs, that generate “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 Windows Defender Security Scan 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” ads and pop-ups

“Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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:

Download AdGuard for Windows	Download AdGuard for Mac
Download AdGuard for Android	Download AdGuard for iOS

Final tips

Be careful surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs, that cause “Windows Defender Security Scan” 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 “Windows Defender Security Scan” pop-ups.