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A total of 40 million people have fallen victim to a scam that sometimes allows criminals to get hold of victims' credit card details, it has been reported.

Called the scareware scam, criminals use pop-up adverts, designed to look legitimate with recognisable typefaces, and falsely warn victims that their computer's security has been compromised, says internet security experts Symantec.

Users who click on the message are directed to a site where they are told they can download fake anti-virus software, costing them up to £60.

As well as charging victims money, the scammers also gain access to credit card details and other personal information.

According to the BBC, criminals are thought to earn over £750,000 a year through the scam.

The firm has identified 250 versions of scareware and criminals are thought to earn more than £750,000 each a year.

Tony Neate, from Get Safe Online told the BBC: "When they've infected your machine it's possibly no longer your machine - you've got no control over it.

Then what they're looking to do is take away your identity, steal bits of your identity, or even get some financial information from you."

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Credit Cards	0% Balance Transfers	0% Purchases	APR Representative (Variable)
	Tesco ClubCard Credit Card
	9 months	15 months	16.9%
** 16.9% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 16.9% p.a(variable). **
	Virgin Credit Card
	20 months	3 months	16.8%
** 16.8% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 16.8% p.a(variable). **
	Barclaycard Platinum with BT
	22 months	3 months	17.5%
** 17.5% APR representative (variable). Based on a credit limit of 1200 and purchase rate 17.5% p.a(variable). **
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