scareware
n.— «This Innovagest2000 domain has for at least four years now been associated with spyware and so-called “scareware,” surreptitiously installed software that bombards the victim with incessant and misleading warnings that their PC is infested with malicious software.» —“Following the Money: Rogue Anti-virus Software” by Brian Krebs Washington Post: Security Fix July 31, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
A librarian opens a book and finds a mysterious invitation scribbled on the back of a business card. Another discovers a child’s letter to the Tooth Fairy, tucked into a book decades ago. What stories are left untold by these forgotten...