UPDATE 12-10-2009: I thought I had seen the last of the finallyfast.com TV commercials, but, last night, I saw another. Different ad copy, but all the same, lame premise.
As a geek and a friend to my customers, I have to let you know about the heavily-advertised MyCleanPC.com and DoubleMySpeed.com computer cleaning scams.
I had posted articles, a while back, about FinallyFast.com and Ascentive PC SpeedScan Pro. Just as I had suspected, this was a scam to install rogue security programs and spyware on your computer.
I just checked WOT (Web of Trust) and both of these new sites received “dangerous” ratings. McAfee’s SiteAdvisor reports similar findings, at least for MyCleanPC.com. I’m not going to go through the hassle of installing anything they have to offer, just so I can report that they’re bundled with malware. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.
You can check the results on Google for reviews and ratings on both of these products. Simple rule, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Domain Ownership
The domain names MyCleanPC.com and DoubleMySpeed.com are both owned by a company called CyberDefender, a known spyware vendor. You can check the whois information (for DoubleMySpeed.com), here. Both websites are hosted by the company CyberDefender.
Please post about your experience with the products offered by MyCleanPC.com or DoubleMySpeed.com, below.
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I am sorry that I didn’t do some research first. I purchased a two-year contract for $389 on Sunday 6/5/11. The technician I talked to told me many things but being a relative novice with computers I kept nodding my head like a bobble-headed doll. He advised me that it would take from four to five hours to fix my computer as he had remotely taken over its’ control.
After returning after eight hours a rather rude man who identified himself as a technician told me that the repair had not been finished.
The very next day 6/6/11 when I went back to my computer all the type and pictures had somehow been miniturized. I could not read the print. I called and talked to technician #009 who told me she would transfer me to another technician and signed off at 11:30 pm. After waiting for five hours and nothing beiing done I went to the website for support, and was told by someone I could barelly understand (and I speak five languages) that my problem was in the ‘cue’ (their spelling) and to wait until my turn or to make an appointment. Being an Army Command Sergeant Major this response did not help my already low tolerance for miscreants who put a shadow on my intelligence.
So now it’s 5:00 am and it’s time for morning physical trainiing and upon completion of that those people wil receive a phone call that will wither their ears only the way a Sergeant Major can. feel as if I just threw $389 to the wind hopefully no one else’s money follows it.
Thank you for posting this information. I was just about to go and download mycleanpc.com as I have noticed it is a bit slower and I use my computer for work. Is there any safe program out there to download? I know I am reading this like a year after the original blog, but I just seen the t.v. commercial this past weekend and thought wow, if this works it would be great. Please advise if there is anything I can do. I know buying a new computer is an option, but not an option I can think about right now, maybe in 2 months, but not know. Thanks for your help and knowledge. So pleased that you wrote about this and that Angelo PC’s website has a lot of similar information. Thanks again and have a great day.
Any ideas on how I can remove this insidious program from my PC,
I have tried everything and it just will not uninstall
SCAM BEWARE……. PAID $399 FOR YEAR SUBSCRIPTION. TRIED IT 10 DAYS. DIDN’T LIKE IT. INVOKED WARANTY. GOT BACK $127.
STEER CLEAR of MaxMYSpeed; cleanmyPC etc that are advertised on TV. They are total rip-offs. For what its worth I use ACE Utilities which has a 5 star rating from CNET as a registry cleaner, for junk files etc. And it has a 30 day free trial period
i purchased doublemyspeed and it didnt do a thing for me, in fact i think it slowed my computer down more. i finally had to restore my pc to factory setup and i have learned not to fall for those scams anymore. they are a ripoff, they said they could speed up my computer for 400 bucks and i knew that was not right. so my advice is stay away from those crooks.
I had double my speed go through my computer It took them over 30hours
and they finally thought they had completed their work Well as far as I was concerned they did I had to take my computer in to have it fixed and after several complaints to them I got my money back or at least I thought I did they came back and recharged me for the software that they stopped from working 2 days after installing so that I had no protection at all now are charging me for and the software is not even on my computer how do I fight this they messed up my computer removed all my protection and then charged me for it
Consumer Protection folks need to get all over this mess and shut them down for good. I tested this CR#P on a brand new HP EliteBook under a controlled environment (deep freeze) and was advised that this prestine machine had over 1K errors of verious types. As a CAS I find this kind of hokum extremely offensive, and will continue to warn my students to stear clear of this and other products that take advantage of the uninformed.
Okay, so I just installed My Clean PC, and it actually worked…for now at least. It’s going faster with everything, and seems to overall improve my computer. I talked to a man over the phone and he checked with everything on it, and said it was in good condition.
Should I trust it, or should I try and get rid of it before it destroys my computer??
-Wait never mind…I think it just screwed up. Now what? Should I try and give it a chance, or should I save up for another computer?
Don’t walk, RUN away from these guys. It’s a scam…..
hmmm i heard over the radio about doublemyspeed and i said welll lets give it a try i turned out a FAILED my coumputer is like the wall of china i never download anything ! i do watch videos BUT never download them i clean my registry every once in a whiile and clean it every week and when i runed this it said that i had 1000 of registry errors ?!?! REALLLLYYYY?? is what i said than they wanted to charge me alot of money for a suite ..NO is what your answer should be if your thinking to buy this program theres alot of options out there!! ex. spywareterminator !! my computers programs, kaspersky antivirus, spyware terminator ,spybot s&d, zone alarm,sand boxie.ETC. DONT BUY ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a quick question regarding the HDDScan program. Not sure how it got on my desktop (maybe when my brother loaded an antispyware program on it) but I’m all of a sudden getting “Critical Error” messages about my HD may be damaged, bad sectors and saying that it needs to be defragmented. I let it do that but there are still a bunch of errors and my desktop is all black and only the HDDScan program sits there. It says on the critical errors to ‘purchase license’ whatever that means. Just wondering if this is another one of those programs that will mess with your computer. Not sure what to do about it. Cannot find it in the add/remove programs and it will not close. Probably need to bring it in to technician? HELP!
Load AVG (of your favorite AV program) in safe mode (F8) and run scan. Sounds viral.
I git scammed by these people !!! After you download and purchase, you have to call a toll free number for activation. During that process, they take control of your computer, then tell you the program can’t be loaded until some spyware is removed, and their techs can do that if you buy a 2 or 3 yr support plan upwards of $ 500.00 At that point i knew i had been taken, ate the $ 40.00, and hung up on the phone. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE !!
Try Revo Uninstaller Pro.
So I just saw this after i attempted to add that last night and now i can’t get it to uninstall any suggestions?
Yes, I just saw an ad for this on the Science Channel when I was watching a recorded episode of “How it’s Made”.
Why is this stuff allowed to be advertised on TV?
I assumed that since mycleanpc.com was advertising on network TV, they could be easily tracked down and reported to various agencies if their product turned out to be a scam. As previous posts indicated, all you get for the originial fee is confirmation that your PC registry is hopelessly invaded with junk. The telephone technician then tries to sell you sell you “personal service” to clean up your PC for $239 for one year, and $389 for two years.
I uninstalled mycleanpc using Revo Uninstaller. My computer works fine again.
The FTC http://www.ftc.gov interstate trade commission is to report them. I also went to the bbb.org national site and found Cyberdefender, file a complaint there. To top the cake, Cyberdefender is not a rated VB100 antivirus software company, they don’t have their own antivirus software, they use the free stuff we use to clean our pc. The scam is the dianostic software mycleanpc.exe that gives thousands of false positive malware infections.
Hi, the diagnostic program from CyberDefender is the scam. They are enticing people with false positives, however an infected computer will probably show some legit infections. They probably do disinfect computers that are infected, but they want to disinfect all computers, even clean ones. cleanmypc.com, maxmyspeed.com etc. And they are costly however.
I almost went through with MyCleanPC and thought I’d better check it out first. Glad I did and found this site and read the many comments. I changed my mind. Thank you very much for this service. You’re a bit of alright!
Those of you who have been burnt by any of these sites, if you wait for someone to do something you’ll never get anything. When the Feds pick up a group for such fraud, they use whatever funds is available to try and reimburse those who lost funds. Those who waited, never acted, were the last to get anything, and usually nothing because groups like these put their funds into foreign banks or other people’s names to protect it. It is nothing to rip people off millions through these scams. If you have been ripped off, the best thing is to contact the FBI in Washington, DC and report the matter; also the better business bureau in your area. Remember, the sites are interstate commerce so it becomes a federal matter of fraud. If you wait, don’t expect anything.
(This is not legal advise. You must do as your own conscious dictates. The FBI is the proper agency for this matter.).
Hi, agree its a scam and also dangerous. I first cleaned my pc with AVG, Adaware, Malwarebytesm, Ccleaner and Uniblue Powersuite. Then I ran Mycleanpc.com and Adaware pop a warning that it blocked CDSWX.exe (Trojan,win32,adware. Then it scanned and said 1428 registry errors which were mostly missing files. Never saw that with a real registry cleaner. It sure looks bogus, beware. This from a PC expert who cleans customer’s PC of infects all the time.
BEWARE!!
DOUBLEMYSPEED is a SCAM !!
I donated my 39.98 a they won’t reply back…………..
I’m not through with them yet!!
The company that owns these websites should be reported to the BBB.
Can I use these free sites in addition to Norton that I already have installed. My computer is slow even with this AV.
My advice would be to uninstall Norton (paid for or not) and install AVG Free (free.avg.com). That’s just a starting point. You’ll need to do a computer clean up and a security scan with MalwareBytes or SuperAntispyware.
I knew it would be a scam, I am a computer technician and I know the best way to get rid of the virus is to format your computer and get anti-virus for your computer. And to make your computer fast is to upgrade your memory card.
In the course of your technician career you might want to consider eliminating unnecessary startup items, defragmenting the Hard Drive and removing malware and/or viruses to speed up a PC way before you do ANY of those last ditch things you’ve named. I don’t believe I’ve ever had to reformat a drive to get rid of an infection. Ever.
For Eric, at Angelo PC – with reference to your kind reply of Aug 16th – Comment 2579 – 12:25 PM.
Thank you Eric.
Later on I’m going to try the 2 sites you’ve mentioned and will report results too here.
In the meanwhile late last night I stumbled thru the System Restore app (to May 30th 2010 – as my desk-top had acquired the horrid malware/virus etc. in the 1st week of June) and seem to have restored the speed I had prior to the ‘assault’. Too early to treat it as complete as there WAS a glitch – I did not possess the C D “Install Disk” to insert into the C D-Rom (D) drive to open up the necessary file named ‘smwdn’ to complete the Restore. Anyway I clicked the “Go Ahead and Install Anyway” option, even though being advised that doing so was subject to a possibly much less than perfect Restore ! That was well acceptable to me.
I did however modify the Monitor Screen Resolution to the advised 1024 x 768 pixel level and the results up to now are acceptable.
The PAINFULLY slow problem is not there at the moment. Fingers crossed !
Thanks much,
wyatt
I just purchased a new Dell Laptop from QVC that came with a lot of free programs. One of them is System Mechanic 9.5. Should I install this on the new laptop and would it help on my desktop too. The desktop is gettting slow and I thought maybe it might help.
Lauri,
I’ve used SM, before. It has good points and bad. It probably does a great job at cleaning temporary files, but it also has an automatic registry cleaner. The only time I would ever use one of them is on a computer that may be on its last legs or one that, without using it, would require a format and Windows re-installation. The automatic registry cleaners tend to be a bit aggressive (best way I can describe it). I would CERTAINLY never use one on a new machine.
I hope that helps.
Thanks Ed … you are a great help to those of us with limited knowledge on computers!
I saw the add, went to the site, and downloaded the free install. All the while I was suspicious, so I read the end-user agreement and that clinched it. As soon as I saw that it installed mandatory tool bar I knew it was crap, but as I read I just felt more and more dread. I canceled it out, deleted the install file, and went searching the web for confirmation of my fears. I found this site and many others that confirmed my fears, and gave me good solutions.
People…please read the end-user agreement! Many times they are easy enough to understand, and if they are not you need to ask yourself “Why?” Since I recently started doing this I have been wiser to what the software on my PC is doing to it.
My computer is very slow and i was going to go with myclean pc but you all helped me from preventing this problem…thank but i would like to know are their other sites i could use to get my pc a boost in speed…NO SCAMS PLEASE! :)
Louise: I almost bit on the MyCleanPc TV AD untill I saw this blog site. I being one of the not so litertae pc users would have done it. Thanks for all the info. 7/29/10
for those who got scammed, by using your credit or debit card. Call you banking/or credit union institution. Report it as a “scam” you may have to fill out paper work over the phone, but you will DEFINATELY get your money back from those scammers!! This happened to me at one time, never received my product, but they took my money right away, so after 3 weeks – I called my credit union and reported the company as scam. Best of luck.
well I was about to use mycleanpc right now but then i stumbled across this blog.I’ve just finished reading and now I no longer feel like using mycleanpc,but that means I still need some way to get rid of my viruses.I know I’ve got some trojan viruses(at the least) because I used AVG anti-virus scan,but I don’t think that,that actually got rid of the viruses.so my question is what would you guys recomend for a good step by step solution to clean up my pc for real?
http://www.angelopc.com/2009/06/27/how-to-perform-a-complete-computer-cleanup-for-free/
Thanks for all help here. I have a slow computer, I have bought AVG and it is even slower then when I had it for free. Glad you told me about My Clean PC..were such suckers when were not able todo it our selves.
I guess I will try C Cleaner, they say that is good as you have all said.
Thanks for this place!!!!
The trend that I usually see is that when one commercial runs for so-called “computer clean-up” a number of others tend to follow. That alone should make you suspicious. I can’t remember the name of the latest one that I’ve seen, but the bad acting alone put me off. It’s kind of like the commercials for sunglasses or steam mops where it’s obvious that the people in it have no acting experience whatsoever. The folks that pay for the airtime just want to sell you some crap, plain and simple.
The battery of antivirus progs that I personally run are MalwareBytes, Spybot Search & Destroy, SuperAntiSpyware and Avira Antivir Free Version. I used to use AVG Free Version but it really bogged down my comp. Before downloading ANYTHING I highly suggest that you check with CNET first. It gives their reviews and recommendations of various free antivirus programs. If you don’t like one, uninstall and try another. Happy surfing! :)
As soon as I starting seeing these commercials a couple years ago, I knew they had to be a scam. They sounded too good to be true and some of their claims seemed false. My father asked me to look this up for him but I told him that it wasn’t necessary since I already knew it was a scam. He wanted hard evidence, though, so I am glad I came across this blog.
P.S. My A/V of choice that I highly recommend is ESET NOD32. Along with SpyBot and and MBAM I have removed numerous infections from customer’s computers and never received any on any of my own.
@Eric – BitDefender is a legitimate A/V but IMHO not a very good one as it has only been able to remove just over half of the infections that NOD32 did on the machines I tested it on.
I ran the MyCleanPc “scan” and it came back with over 1500 errors, so I purchased the product to clean and correct them. Instead of an activation code, I ended up with a number to call. These folks were supposedly to activate my software. What they ended up doing was VPNing into my computer & then telling me that I need to buy a 2 year contract in order to get the 1500+ items fixed (the 39.98 I already paid was, apparently, only to get this CyberDefender phone number to pop up). I did call back and immediately demanded a refund. They said it would take up to 5 days to get it but they did agree to refund my money.
Thanks everyone, for posting your info/experience. I saw the ad for mycleanpc yesterday on either ESPN or the Weather Channel. My question is, can you use the free programs mentioned above instead of McAfee or Norton? I downloaded Norton from Comcast (as part of their package) and it turned my PC into a dinosaur!!! I’d like to remove it if these programs are just as effective. Thanks!! Kim
Kim, the programs mentioned above are free to use for home use.
Thank you so much, Ed! I appreciate your help.
When you see something like this on TV, always ask yourself, this seems too good to be true, chances are, it is. Also, ask yourself, is this a scam, then get online and search the product your looking for and see if it is a scam.
Unfortunately, there are those out there who are not all that literate with computers and will believe that what the advert on TV is stating is true. They make it sound good so they can get your money. Sadly, there are some gullible people out there who want to get a quick buck. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do if you are caught in one of these scams. If you do purchase something from a website, always print out a receipt, this will include the website address, pertinent information you may need. You can also do a whois search on the website for IP addresses, or the server the site is hosted on, this information may be useful if you want to make an attempt at pursuing a company or people that scam.
I just saw an ad for mycleanpc.com, on either RTV or thistv station, I can’t recall which it was. Am I glad I googled it before going to their scammer website! Thanks to all here who checked it out. While I’m here, let me put in a good word for spybot search and destroy, as well as the free trendmicro housecall. They’ve been helpful. I’ve also used ccleaner with good results.
Nancy, there are plenty of completely free programs to keep your computer clean. Avast and AVG antivirus programs are good, Spybot Search and Destroy, SuperAntiSpyware, and Adaware are all good. CCleaner is good at getting rid of junk. And the biggest hammer of all (in my opinion) is HijackThis. Run HijackThis and get expert help in deciding what to eradicate from one of the many forums for that program, it’ll make a big difference if your machine isn’t already clean.
how do u speed up your computer for free
Kim,
http://www.angelopc.com/2009/06/27/how-to-perform-a-complete-computer-cleanup-for-free/
I downloaded this, it ran the scan, told me how high risk my computer was and then prompted me to pay for any cleanup. I don’t think there is anything that’s free, even for us poor people unless we know the right person. Thank you though so much for your input!
Nancy
JUST saw an advert for doublemyspeed.com on TV, and I heard they’re using Radio airtime, too. Save yourselves the trouble, guys – leave anything by CyberDefender well alone.
Jester,
I saw one for MyCleanPC.com, today. It irks me to see those ads, but I guess my job is to warn people about them.
Take care!
Thanks for preventing me from making this mistake. Do you guys have any recommendations for legit free programs that can help spped up computer processing and antiviral performance?
Lightnin’,
AVG Free
MalwareBytes AntiMalware
SuperAntiSpyware
I use all three.
Like Ed, I use Malwarebytes to check and remove any bogus crap if I have any. I use it on every client computer that gets a virus/malware also.
I’m not fond of free antivirus softwares so I try to get everybody to purchase Symantec Corporate Antivirus. I find it MUCH MUCH faster than its baby brother Norton.
Not many folks can afford a 5-user software so if you’re thinking about it try to get it with other folks chipping in.
If Symantec nor Malwarebytes can remove your problem then you have a nasty root kit virus and you’ll need to go to Bleeping Computer and download Combofix to remove it. When you’re done you’ll need to check the Connections tab in Internet Explorer’s properties, then check the LAN settings button to make sure a proxy server isn’t leftover.
That usually does the trick. The problem is once you GET a virus, etc., you may need to boot into the recovery console to remove dll’s from system32, drivers from the drivers folder, etc. BEFORE you are able to boot into safe mode.
It takes me a couple hours and I know what I’m doing since I do it almost daily for folks.
The best way to NOT get something bad on your computer is to NOT CLICK A POPUP!!!!!!!!! Just because something pops up on your screen and tells you that you have something doesn’t mean that it’s true. DON’T TOUCH IT!!!!! Just Ctrl-Alt-Delete and end the task. Quite simple.
Good job Ed. You know your stuff. If you were closer to Dallas I’d have you take care of my clients so I could take a vacation once in awhile. lol
Thanks for the info on free antivirus
Thanks for the input. I had no success – at all – with DoubleMySpeed. My computer has been raided and is painfully slow responding etc. on the Internet. I can not afford expensive repair work which – as we all know – has no guarantee !
If in the meanwhile you’ve come to know of a freebie that does actually clean up a computer, please let me know their e-mail contact.
Thanks
I highly highly recommend Hitman Pro and then Dr. Web’s Cure-it. Hitman Pro is a cloud app using the definitions of six seperate anti-malware and anti-virus companies. It has a 30 day fully functional trial use period and is very affordable to boot. I believe Cure-It is free to home users. Use Hitman first (scans very quickly) then, no matter what Hitman finds go a head and to a “complete” scan with Cure-It. You will be happy then : ).
I think they don’t care what they are advertising. You hear these ads on a lot of similar platforms, namely cable TV and internet radio, and both such platforms are owned by major huge companies who advertise anyone who wants to buy the space, scam or not. Same channels play infomercials for complete scam items. It won’t end, but I don’t want people to think that a particular show advocates the scam just because the commercials runs during their show. My station doesn’t play the ad itself, but the company that controls our internet stream, plays the ad. Howard Stern, Chris Russo and other such hosts whose shows advertise these scams, they don’t even know these commercials are being run during their show.
I work for a radio station that does not individually run a commercial for this, but on our streaming online broadcast, a commercial for doublemyspeed.com plays over the commercials that are actually running from our studio. Obviously this is up to the company that owns our station, but it sucks to have a known scam site advertising on my station!
I hear ya, Adam. Sounds like you take pride in your work and your company. They should be informed about what they’re advertising. Thanks for your input!
I blindly installed MyCleanPC and stupidly purchased it after being told how many errors were on my PC. I totally got ripped off because the program worked right after I purchased it but when I tried to use it again my Password wouldn’t register. So I emailed them only to be told that they had no record of my account or payment. EVEN though I had a receipt of my payment they still denied I had an account with them! I forwarded the receipt 3 times to them with no luck. I really hope someone does something about this company ripping people off.
I too was ripped off by these idiots. For over $200. When I asked for a refund and to speak to a supervisor I was put on hold for 20minutes then hung up on. I am still dealing with the aftermath of this software. Had to restore to factory default and lost hundreds of files. I would like to go to california and punch these people in the throat.
I just found this web site thank God. I was going to buy MyCleanPC. Now there is no way I’m getting this. My laptop is only two months old and I’ll be darn if some Sammer company is going to ruin it. Thank you for the info.