A pop-up fills your screen with flashing text. It says your computer has a virus. A phone number glows at the bottom, and the message tells you to call now. If you dial, the person who answers sounds calm and official. They say they work for a well-known tech company and ask to connect to your computer. What felt like help soon turns into a demand for money or account details.
What a tech support scam looks like
Tech support scams happen when criminals pose as technical or customer support staff. The Federal Trade Commission explains how to spot, avoid, and report tech support scams. The common thread is fear. The goal is to push you into acting before you stop to check whether the threat is real.
The FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as the IC3. According to its page on tech support and government impersonation, these two fraud categories are responsible for billions of dollars in losses. The excerpt we reviewed gives no exact dollar figure or victim count, so treat "billions" as the only number we can stand behind. IC3 also says call centers overwhelmingly target older adults.
The two schemes often overlap. IC3 says the same criminals may run both and mix tactics from each. It names the "Phantom Hacker" scam as an example. A person who calls a fake help line may later hear from someone claiming to be an official. The FTC keeps a running page on tech support scams if you want to see how the pitches are described.
Red flags to watch for
The first red flag is contact you did not ask for. IC3 lists pop-ups, texts, and emails with links, attachments, or phone numbers you did not seek out. If the message came to you, be wary. A quick question helps: did I contact them, or did they contact me?
The second is pressure. Scammers create urgency to produce fear and push you into acting at once. Time works against them, because time lets you think, ask a relative, or check the claim yourself. If someone insists you must act right now, that insistence is the warning.
The third is a request for access. IC3 says scammers may ask you to download software or give them control of your devices or accounts. Do not do either for an unknown caller. The fourth is a demand for payment dressed up as official business. The pitch might be that you missed jury duty or that your identity was used in a crime. IC3 says the government will never ask you to wire money or move funds to "secure" accounts.
IC3 notes that criminals may pose as any of these:
- Computer or virus support, and virus software renewal
- Banks, online shopping sites, and utility companies
- Security services, GPS, printer, cable, and internet companies
- Cryptocurrency exchanges
If you already responded
Stop contact. Hang up, and do not take follow-up calls from the same people. Do not send more money. Do not give more access to your devices or accounts. The sources are clear on those points, and they also say to resist the pressure to hurry. Step back before you do anything else.
Then report it. The sources say to report the fraud to the FTC and to IC3. The FTC pages linked above cover how to report, and the IC3 page linked above is the FBI's starting point. Before you file, it helps to write down what you remember, such as phone numbers, dates, names used, and how you were asked to pay. That is our suggestion, not a step the sources spell out.
The sources we reviewed do not cover what to say to your bank or card issuer, how fast to move, whether money can be recovered, or how to watch your credit. If you paid or shared account details, you may want to ask the company that holds the account what it can do. That is our suggestion too. Do not expect a promise. Outcomes may depend on the institution and the payment method.
Habits that lower the risk
Make one rule and keep it: do not act on contact you did not start. If a pop-up says your computer is broken, close the browser window. If a caller says they are from support, hang up. Then find the company's number yourself, from a bill, the back of a card, or its official website, and call that number.
Talk about this with family, especially older relatives, since IC3 says call centers overwhelmingly target them. A short conversation beforehand gives someone a script of their own to follow: pause, hang up, and call someone they trust.
Remote access is the line to hold. No legitimate caller who contacted you out of the blue needs control of your computer or your accounts. If you hear that request, the call is over.
