30 million anti-virus users can be wrong, very wrong. That's the number estimated to have installed fake anti-malware programs. Not just ineffective against malware, but malware itself!Panda Security's research arm, PandaLabs, reports that more than 7,000 variations of the "disinfect your computer" adware/popup scam have struck paydirt, scaring tens of millions of users into parting with tens of millions of bucks (and pounds, marks, etc.)to clean their computers of apparent infections.

What the users are getting cleaned of is their money and personal information, of course.

Problem is -- and profit to the crooks flows from -- the fact that the programs the users purchase are the tail end of the scam.

They purchase them because they're getting messages (popup windows and other alerts) telling them that their system is infected.

And they're getting the fake popups because, of course, they are infected, having picked up "warning" spawning malware from a bad site or imprudently opened e-mail.

The warnings on their screens, and evident malware-influenced behavior of their computers, lowers their guards, opens their wallets and purses and -- presto! 30 Million users!

It's a vicious and rapidly spreading cycle, and one your employees and co-workers should be warned about now.

Fascinating -- and scary -- PandaLabs blog here about how the adware/antivirusware scam works.