Get ready for this: I recently got a full-screen alert that my computer was infected by some kind of malware. A window appeared with plenty of red, appearing to show a virus search in progress. At the same time, a balloon popped up from my task bar confirming the infection.

I didn't recognize the name of either the full-screen warning or the search, so I was very suspicious, especially since the warning provided the option of "updating" my protection.

To make a long story short, the full-screen alert with its impressive "search window" was *itself* part of the infection ! And I couldn't easily remove it because it had already installed a malicious program with some kind of rather effective self-defense (think "AIDS virus"). My real anti-malware program kept assuring me (you'll love this) that all "installed" programs were "operating properly." The crooks were counting on that response to give them a further edge. They were claiming, basically, that only new software from them could cure the infection.

The good news is I eventually eliminated the intruder with my defense suite. It wasn't easy. If I hadn't been suspicious, resistant to dire alerts, and incredibly persistent, I'd have fallen for the trap.

So, yes, BEWARE.