Google Ads Scam Targets Users with Fake 'Locked Computer' Warnings

A sophisticated Google Ads campaign has been tricking users into calling tech-support scammers by displaying fake 'locked computer' warnings.

The ads, which appeared on legitimate high-traffic sites such as maps, weather, real estate, sports, and document-hosting pages, created a sense of urgency to convince users that their computers had been infected or disabled.

Netskope, the security firm that tracked the campaign, found that 62% of affected organizations were in the United States, with Japan and Australia also being targeted.

The ads used browser tricks to occupy full-screen mode, hide the cursor, block common exit commands, and slow down browser performance, making it seem as though the entire system had become unstable.