How to remove “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” pop-up scam (Mac)

What is “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” Scam

“YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” is a fake error message displayed in a pop-up window by a malicious website. Its main purpose is to convince users that their Mac is under infection and that all sensitive information (banking data, e-mails, passwords, etc.) is at risk of getting stolen. The pop-up message, therefore, claims users should call certified Apple Support using the provided phone number (1-877-271-8604) to ostensibly solve the issue, which, in fact, is non-existent. Here is a full overview of this fake error message and other similar pop-ups targeting Mac and iOS as well:

Please note that the specified number has nothing to do with the official Apple Support and is simply designed to trick users into paying for irrelevant malware removal services. Such a pop-up message (“YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED”) is just a scam and must not be trusted. Usually, if users call the provided phone number, scammers may ask to install some third-party software and let them control your system remotely. Trusting your computer into the hands of potential cybercriminals is never a good idea as they can drop some real malware even after you pay for their services. If you accidentally come across pages that display messages like “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” or similar, do not trust the featured information and close it immediately. If the malicious page does not disappear after its first closure and shows up with fake error messages on a continuous basis, this means your system is likely infected with adware. Read our next section below to learn more about it and get rid of adware from Mac eventually.

What do I see “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” pop-up continuously?

Some users may be redirected to pages that display scam messages due to new browser settings that were established by adware. Adware is usually an unwanted application that gets installed drive-by (without users’ consent) and runs suspicious activities in the background. The main feature of adware is the promotion of various pop-ups, banners, coupons, ads, and redirects. Promoted content can lead to dubious or scam pages like the one we already discussed above. In addition, the adware may also be capable of monitoring data entered by users during browser sessions. This means such information as passwords, geolocations, IP-addresses, etc. may become stolen and sold to shady figures. Typically, adware programs are spread using a deceptive marketing technique known as “bundling”. This distribution method implies the stealth installation of unwanted apps alongside other software that is downloaded from unofficial pages. The unwanted apps are frequently presented as something “useful” and can be hidden inside the “Advanced” or “Custom” sections. However, because most users neglect to check the entire installation for third-party additions, they end up inadvertently infected with adware or other type of software. Thus, it is recommended to be careful while using unofficial installers. Even better is to opt only for trusted and official software vendors to minimize or completely eradicate the risk of such accidental infections.

Remove “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” pop-up manually for free

Remove suspicious applications from MacOS

To start removing “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” pop-up you should uninstall unwanted programs from Applications in MacOS. Malware can be present by different names. It should uninstall correctly, however, we recommend you to use CleanMyMac to clean leftover items after uninstalling. Here are instructions for Mac.

Remove suspicious applications from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. Find unknown or suspicious applications.
3. Drag icons of suspicious applications from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Cannot uninstall Captchasafe.top in MacOS

If you can’t uninstall suspicious apps from MacOS using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag suspicious applications from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with suspicious applications.
4. Click Delete button.

Disable push notifications from suspicious websites in browsers in MacOS

Remove suspicious websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Safari

1. Open Safari, and in the top menu click Safari, choose Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window, click on Websites tab.
3. On the left side, choose Notifications. You will see the list of websites and their settings for showing notifications.
4. Find suspicious ones in the list and click Remove button.

Remove suspicious websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Google Chrome

1. Go to Google Chrome settings, by clicking 3-dots icon in the top-right corner and choosing Settings.
2. On the left side choose Privacy and security menu.
3. Under opened Privacy and security tab, choose Site Settings.
4. Scroll down to Permissions section and click on Notifications (with the bell icon).
5. Go to the bottom list of sites named Allowed to send notifications.
6. Find suspicious ones in the list and click 3-dots icon near it. Click Remove button to delete the website permission.

Remove suspicious websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Mozilla Firefox

1. Go to Mozilla Firefox options, by clicking 3-bars icon in the top-right corner and choosing Settings.
2. On the left panel choose Privacy & Security menu.
3. Scroll down to Permissions section.
4. Near Notifications click Settings… button.
5. Find suspicious ones in the list and click Remove Website to remove it.
6. Click Save Changes button to confirm the action.

Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers

Uninstalling Captchasafe.top from Control Panel often does not bring the desired effect. It sometimes has a browser extension and it may still be active in Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove Captchasafe.top related extension 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 or unwanted extension.
4. Click the Remove button 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. Find suspicious or unwanted extension.
4. Click three-dots icon near it and choose Remove in the menu.
5. In opened dialog window click Remove button to confirm the action.
6. Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.

How to block ads and pop-ups, like “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED”

Malicious push-notifications, in most cases, are caused by a program installed on your PC or an 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 “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” pop-up are themselves installed from other 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 Mac