With the end of the year approaching, most of the major antispyware companies will be releasing their 2010 versions in the next few months. Unfortunately, this means many of the “rogue antispyware” and “scareware” will be releasing their new versions as well.

“Rogue antispyware” is a fake antispyware (or antivirus) application that attempts to trick you into buying their fake product. They do this in a number of ways, but the most popular is in the form of “scareware.” “Scareware” is rogue spyware that “scares” you into buying their product. They do this by pretending to find spyware or viruses on your computer. The scareware then pops up with some scary alert message saying your computer is now heavily infected with spyware and the only way to cure it is to download our fantastic product.

It’s amazing how many people still fall for this, but they do. People get so scared that their PC is now infected, and that they better spend a few bucks to cure it. The scareware looks nice and professional, but it has no intention of cleaning or protecting your computer at all. Once you give them your money, you’re screwed. You won’t get it back, and you computer is now infected for real.

So, don’t be fooled by the new 2010 versions of antispyware. Here are a few tips to avoid downloading the wrong software:

1. Check with antispyware review sites (like this one!). If a lot of legitimate antispyware review sites are reviewing the product in question, chances are its legit.
2. See if you can order a box copy of the antispyware. If no box copy exists, it’s probably rogue antispyware. All of the big, legitimate companies offer box products (or a CD) that you can have shipped to you. If its just a download with no other options, forget it.
3. Do a simple Google search (or your search engine of choice). If you’re finding a lot of blog and forum posts that list the antispyware in question as being fraudulent, it probably is.
4. And if all else fails, if you haven’t heard of the software company before, its probably fake. Most of the trusted names are well circulated on Internet, so if you haven’t come across the name in question, its probably best to move on.

To make matters worse, rogue antispyware and scareware often come in harmless names. Here are a few recent culprits:

• “AntiVirus VIP”
• “Virus Remover 2007″
• “Win AntiSpyware 2008″
• “AntiSpyware Pro2009″

They sound harmless, and in fact quite helpful, don’t they? Beware. If you get an alarming pop-up on your screen from some unknown antispyware or antivirus software, don’t panic. Simply go to another browser and do some basic research. It’s probably just a scam.