web page · VerifyGate is invented
The Fake CAPTCHA (ClickFix)
A page says the visitor is not a robot and asks them to "verify" in an unusual way. Bernard, of course, tries to help it along.
The story being told
A page says the visitor is not a robot and asks them to "verify" in an unusual way. Bernard, of course, tries to help it along.
How it really works
A real CAPTCHA asks you to tick a box or pick pictures. This one asks you to do something to your own computer that no website needs you to do, and the "verification" is really a way of getting a program or a command running on the machine. The instruction is disguised as a security step so that following it feels careful rather than reckless.
What to do instead
If a page asks you to open a system window, paste something or run anything, close it. That is not a CAPTCHA, whatever it says. Nothing that verifies a human needs access to your computer. If you have already done it, disconnect from the internet, get the machine looked at, and change the passwords you use from a different device.
This scenario is shown as an illustration only. No commands, keystrokes or steps appear on this page, by design.
Sources
- Proofpoint: research on ClickFix social engineering
- Microsoft Security Blog: click-and-run style lures
- US Federal Trade Commission: consumer alerts on fake verification pages
Checked 18 October 2026. Every statistic on this site is re-checked at publish time, and the reporting resources on the Help page are re-checked quarterly.