By Cho Jin-seo Staff Reporter A computer virus is bad. But trying to fix it with unverified anti-virus programs may bring even worse disaster to users. Many anti-virus programs sold on the market are themselves acting as viruses and some of them are cleverly ripping users off, the government confirmed Wednesday, after hundreds of victims reported such malpractice. The Ministry of Information and Communication warned computer users to pay heed when they install anti-spyware programs or use them on the Web. It also requested police to investigate seven computer program makers engaged in selling such malicious remedies. Even the security programs used on Internet banking Web sites and by other financial institutions cannot be fully trusted, the ministry said. ``We cannot say that Internet banking systems are safe from such problems,'' said Jong Jong-ki, chief official of the Information Security and Privacy Bureau. ``We found that the anti-spyware programs are in general not meeting our standard.'' Spyware are computer programs that are installed surreptitiously on a PC without the user's consent _ similar to computer viruses _ intended to steal private information or take control of the PC. The most common form of spyware is adware: the pop-up advertisement windows that come up every time a person tries to use the Internet. Anti-spyware are programs that search and destroy spyware. Many software vendors have been selling anti-spyware on the Internet, charging users via credit cards or mobile phone billing. Many consumers have complained that they were charged without knowing their contracts were extended. And in some cases the anti-spyware is even harder to remove from a PC than the spyware itself. In worst cases, the cyber charlatans spuriously warn users that their computer have been infected with spyware, directing them to purchase their anti-spyware programs that may actually add more spyware of their own. The Korea Consumer Agency said last week that it had received 499 complaints regarding anti-spyware this year, up 80 percent from the same period last year. About three quarters of the victims said the firms did not properly notify them about the extension of the service. The ministry confirmed the report, saying it found that about half of 118 anti-spyware programs available in Korea are programmed to automatically charge the consumers after their initial contract expires. PC Love, a computer magazine, says programs such as Buy Doctor, Doctor Virus, Spy Hunter and Spy Map are frequently blamed for such exploitation. Jung, the ministry official, said that he cannot identify the names of the faulty vendors since the investigation is still ongoing. The ministry warned users to pay heed to the terms of contract when they install anti-spyware programs. indizio@koreatimes.co.kr