Beware: ScanGuard Scam

Brad R Monday 21 November 2016 - 15:58:31  

My wife called this to my attention; a web site called "smartwebuser.org" (I refuse to post a link) that warned "If you live in Canada and have a Linux computer which is over 6 months old, then we advise you to keep reading." What followed was a puff piece for something called ScanGuard. It sounded suspiciously to me like all those "cleanup" apps that are advertised in email and occasionally on TV, that promise to protect your PC from viruses and malware, and make it run a zillion times faster. It sounded like a scam to me.

A quick Google search for "ScanGuard scam" confirmed this. First I found this Yahoo Answers discussion, where it was reported that the program will advise you that there's a problem and you need to spend $49 to fix it.

Then I found this in-depth review from Bob Rankin:

The item in question is ScanGuard, a PC cleanup, optimization, and protection program. It’s a very new program; according to Whois records, the site came online in June 2016. I don’t find any discussions of ScanGuard earlier than September.

As for the company behind ScanGuard, all I can find is a reference to “a highly regarded Microsoft Solution Provider.” No “about” or “contact” links on the site. That’s a huge red flag. ...

Installing ScanGuard goes a little too fast for my liking. There is no licensing agreement to read, no “I accept” button, no “cancel” button. A corporate lawyer would never allow those items to be omitted. ...

The only review of ScanGuard that I could find comes from a brand-new site called Top10BestAntivirus.com, which was registered in October 2016. Warning bells went off right away, when I saw that the top 2 items here are TotalAV and ScanGuard, two unknowns that have the same domain registration information. The reviews for both are glowing and vague, and the other products listed are all affiliate links.

Here's another odd thing I found while researching this software. The domain name for ScanGuard (scanguard.com) is listed as "for sale" on several domain marketplaces, with prices ranging from $10,000 to $22,800. Hedging their bets? Very odd, to say the least.

As Rankin says, "the company is sketchy." I have not yet seen any reports of the program installing malware, but it's still early days, and most people seem to have had the good sense not to try this.

My guess is that they've milked the Windows market for all they could, and are now hoping to turn up a few suckers in the Linux marketplace. Do NOT install this program on your computer -- it's like handing them the keys to your house.
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