Someday you may be unfortunate enough to experience a particularly nasty virus or other malware on your PC. It happens. Your next step is to decide how to remedy the situation. Taking that step is, unfortunately, fraught with peril.

Recently, my son’s computer contracted a nasty virus. I’ve no idea how he got infected. He doesn’t know either (or he’s not telling).

We noticed the virus because his system’s web browser had been hijacked. Every few seconds, it would pop up on the screen to an unlisted web page. My guess is that he had ransomware on his system, and Responsible Parties had shut down the site.

Yes, he ran Anti-Virus software on his system, but it failed. (Or he ignored the warnings — again, he’s not talking about it.)

My solution was to take the computer back to the local Mom & Pop store where I purchased it. For $70 they would run their über powered anti-virus vacuum on the system, cleaning it up and restoring it to perfection.

They failed.

The system was just too corrupted, and the motherboard was dying, so I opted for a clean-install, new this and that, and so on. But under normal circumstances, the virus would have been removed.

That’s the easy path.

The more difficult path was taken by a reader, David, who emailed me the following story:

Last night I had desktop trouble–malware was making Mozilla Firefox repeatedly crash–so I contacted XXXXXX, which I was on the phone with for over an hour and then they remotely controlled my desktop to fix it and get the malware out. After they fixed it, they persuaded me to pay $430 for a three-year plan to have them perform manual monthly cleanups and have them exclusively fix any future problems at no additional cost over those three years. …

And the letter goes on, but at this point I was already steamed: What a rip-off!

In many jurisdictions it’s illegal to sell someone something while they’re under duress. That normally applies to funeral homes, but in this case I would say selling a $430 three-year “maintenance” plan to someone who just wanted a virus removed is pretty much the same deal.

You do not need such a plan!

First, I’m leery of the whole “remote desktop” method of fixing a computer. I would use it if I truly trusted the source, but I don’t trust just anyone to venture into my PC. And most users are unaware of how to lock that system so that others can prowl into your computer any time they like.

Second, under no circumstances do you need any type of extended service contract for a PC. It is a waste of money. You might as well hand your hard-earned cash over to the other guy so that he can buy a boat or visit Las Vegas.

Third, continue to use anti-virus software. I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. Install it (click the link). Do a full scan, which takes several hours. Then configure a quick scan every so often. That should keep you protected — and you don’t have to pay a subscription.

Finally, if you do encounter nasty malware, call around and see what the prices are to remove it. Be a good shopper! Don’t be fooled because, obviously, there are devious jerks out there who would gladly take money from someone who finds himself in a desperate situation.