The file name was something like: VC_redist.x64.exe

The first three results were ads for driver updaters that looked like they came from 2003. Pop-ups offered to “scan his registry” (no), “fix his PC for free” (absolutely not), and one even claimed he had fourteen viruses (he had zero, but the message still made his heart race).

“Setup Successful.”

His friend Priya, who actually read software licenses, sent him a voice message: “You need the Visual C++ Redistributable. x64 version. Don’t get the x86 by accident.”