A pop-up or call says your computer has a problem

A real security warning never asks you to call a phone number. If the one on your screen does, closing it is the fix.

If it’s happening now

Someone is connected to your computer right now (the mouse moves by itself, or a caller is working on your screen). Hold the power button until the screen goes dark; it can take up to 10 seconds. Hang up, then use your phone: Someone is on the line or on my screen right now.

You called the number, or someone called you about a virus. Hang up. If you didn’t let them connect, pay, or read them a code, you’re done. Microsoft says it doesn’t make unsolicited calls to fix computers. Apple says to hang up on unexpected calls from “Apple Support.” A real company’s number on caller ID proves nothing.

A warning with a phone number filled your screen. Don’t call it. Don’t click anything on the page, not even OK or the X; those buttons belong to the scam. The alarm or voice is part of the page. Close the browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox) with the keyboard:

• Windows PC: hold Esc for two seconds to leave full screen, then press Alt+F4. On some laptops it’s Alt+Fn+F4. Still stuck? Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, select the browser, and choose End task.
• Mac (Apple): hold Esc for two seconds, then hold Command+Q. Still stuck? Press Option+Command+Esc, select the browser, and click Force Quit.
• Nothing works: hold the power button until the screen goes dark, whatever the page says. The FBI says people who shut down usually find the warning gone when they restart.

When you reopen the browser, don’t restore your old pages. If the warning comes back, hold Esc, then close that tab with Ctrl+W (Command+W on a Mac). If you didn’t call, type anything into the page, or install anything, you’re done.

A page tells you to press keys and paste something, to prove you’re not a robot or to fix an error. Close the tab. The page copied a command when you clicked, and the keys it lists paste that command in and run it. Pasted it into the Run box but didn’t press Enter? Press Esc to close the box. Already pressed Enter, or pasted into a Terminal or PowerShell window? Do the steps below.

Virus warnings keep appearing in the corner of your screen. Those can come from a website you once clicked Allow on. Don’t click them. In Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications, and block the sites you don’t recognize.

An email or text says your Norton, McAfee, or Geek Squad plan renewed, with a number to call. Don’t call it. Look for the charge in your bank or card app. Not there? Delete the message. There? Call the number on the back of your card.

What to say

• Don't call that number. Hold down the power button until the screen goes black. I'll stay on the phone with you.

• I'm hanging up. If something's wrong with my computer, I'll get help myself.

• Someone pretending to be tech support had control of my computer while I was signed in to online banking. Can you stop anything pending, lock my online banking, and give me a case number?

• They moved money while they had control of my computer. I didn't send it. I want it handled as an unauthorized transfer under Regulation E.

• I paid a fake tech support company with this card. I'd like to dispute the charge and get a new card number.

If something already left your hands

Turn the computer off if it isn’t already. Do the rest from your phone or another device.

They connected to your computer

Call the number on the back of your card. Say someone had control of your computer, and when. Ask them to stop anything pending, lock your online banking, and give you a case number. Do the same for every bank, card, and retirement account they could have reached.

If money left and you didn’t send it, tell them you didn’t make that transfer. If it was a wire, ask for a recall on the same call.

Then change your email and bank passwords from a device they never touched. What the federal rules cover, and how to clean the computer: I let someone control my computer.

If they say your refund came in too big, don’t send anything back. The extra came from your own savings or retirement, or it was never there.

You paid them

Call the bank or company you paid through, on the number on your card or inside its app, and ask them to stop or reverse it. Steps by payment: card, gift cards, Zelle, wire, or bank transfer, payment app, Western Union or MoneyGram, crypto or a Bitcoin ATM, cash or gold.

Money you sent yourself, by Zelle, wire, payment app, gift card, crypto, or cash, may be treated as authorized and often isn’t paid back. Ask for a recall anyway, and for the decision in writing. If they say no, file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. For a wire or crypto, also file at ic3.gov at the same time as that first call.

You pasted what a page told you to and pressed Enter

1. If you bank on that computer, or keep cards saved in its browser, call the number on the back of each card. Ask for new card numbers.
2. Change your email password, then your bank’s, then every password saved in that browser. In each account’s security settings, sign out of all other devices. A copied login can outlast a password change.
3. Turn on two-step sign-in as you go. A passkey or an authenticator app is the goal; codes by text message are better than nothing.
4. Keep the computer offline until it’s reset, or checked by a repair shop you picked yourself: cleaning steps.

You gave a password, code, or card number

I gave out a code, password, or card number.

Then report it

Write down the phone number, the website, and what they asked for (Save evidence without spiraling). Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If they said they were Microsoft, also at microsoft.com/reportascam. If you lost money, also at ic3.gov.

If you’re 60 or older, or helping someone who is, the National Elder Fraud Hotline can help with the reports: 833-372-8311. AARP’s free helpline is open to anyone: 877-908-3360.

Anyone who later offers to get your money back for a fee, even someone claiming to be the FBI, IC3, the FTC, or a lawyer, is running a second scam. Someone offers to get my money back.

What it looks like

After you clicked a news story, the browser filled the screen. An alarm is playing.

alert-7731.securepc-alertdesk.com/support/

alert-7731.securepc-alertdesk.com says

Windows Security Alert

Your computer is infected with an identity theft virus. Your passwords, bank details, and photos are being sent to an unknown server.

Do not restart or turn off your computer. Doing so may cause permanent data loss.

Call Microsoft Support now: (202) 555-0179

OK

It says not to restart or turn off the computer. What do you do?

• Call the number to find out whether it's real
• Click the X on the warning box
• Press and hold Esc for two seconds, then close the browser
• Hold the power button until the computer turns off

Show the answers

• Wrong move Call the number to find out whether it's real Microsoft says its warnings never include a phone number. Whoever answers will ask to connect to your computer, then for money.
• Wrong move Click the X on the warning box That X belongs to the scam page, not your browser. These pages loop the warning when you click. Use the keyboard instead.
• Best move Press and hold Esc for two seconds, then close the browser Holding Esc gets you out of full screen even when the page has taken over the keyboard. Then close the browser: Alt+F4 on Windows, Command+Q on a Mac. If you didn't call or type anything in, closing it ends it.
• Okay Hold the power button until the computer turns off Safe, and what the FBI suggests for a locked screen. Ignore the line about data loss; you only lose unsaved work. If the browser offers to restore your pages, don't.

The harm starts when you call, type, or install something. Close the page any way you can, even when it says not to turn the computer off.

You're on a recipe site you've used for years. You tick "I'm not a robot," and this appears.

maplebrookkitchen.com/recipes/apple-cider-donuts

To better prove you are not a robot, please:

1. Press & hold the Windows Key + R.
2. In the verification windows, press Ctrl + V.
3. Press Enter on your keyboard to finish.

You will observe and agree:
"I'm not a robot – reCAPTCHA Verification ID: 8253"

Perform the steps above to finish verification.

It's a site you trust. What do you do?

• Do the three steps. It's a robot check
• Do the first two steps, and read what's in the box before pressing Enter
• Close the tab
• Hold the power button until the computer turns off

Show the answers

• Wrong move Do the three steps. It's a robot check When you ticked the box, the page quietly copied a command, as if you'd pressed Copy. The steps paste it into the Windows Run box and start it. Microsoft has tracked pages like this installing programs that take saved passwords and banking details.
• Wrong move Do the first two steps, and read what's in the box before pressing Enter The box shows only the end of what you pasted: the line about not being a robot. The part that downloads the program sits in front of it, out of view.
• Best move Close the tab Nothing has run yet. Scammers break into ordinary websites to show this, so a site you know doesn't make the request safe. If you already pasted, press Esc to close the box.
• Okay Hold the power button until the computer turns off Safe, but nothing has run yet. Closing the tab is enough. Turning the computer off matters once you've pressed Enter.

Real robot checks happen inside the page: you tick a box or choose pictures. A page that tells you to press keys or paste something is trying to run a program on your computer.

Your printer says it's offline. You searched for the maker's support line and called the number at the top of the results.

(202) 555-0162

Outgoing call · 3:12 PM

1. Agent Thank you for calling Corvell printer support, this is Brian. What's the model?
2. You A Corvell 4400. It keeps saying it's offline.
3. Agent Okay, I'm checking from my side. Your printer driver license has expired, and there are viruses on your network blocking it.
4. Agent I'll connect to your computer and fix it now. Go to corvell-remotehelp.com and type in the code I give you.
5. Agent After that there's a one-time $199 network security charge, and the printer is covered for life.

You're the one who called. What do you do?

• Let him connect. You dialed the number, so it's Corvell
• Let him connect, but watch the screen and end it if anything looks off
• Hang up, then get the number from the printer's box or manual, or the maker's website typed in yourself

Show the answers

• Wrong move Let him connect. You dialed the number, so it's Corvell You dialed whoever got their number to the top of the search. Scammers pay to sit at the top of search results, the FBI says. In late 2025, researchers found AI answers repeating planted support numbers too.
• Wrong move Let him connect, but watch the screen and end it if anything looks off Once he's connected, he can do anything you can on that computer, faster than you can follow. The program he has you install can let him back in later.
• Best move Hang up, then get the number from the printer's box or manual, or the maker's website typed in yourself The box, the manual, and the maker's own site are where the real number is. If real support then asks to connect, you know who you're letting in.

Real support teams do sometimes connect to your computer to fix it. What matters is where the number came from: the company itself, not a search result or an AI answer.

What they’ll ask for

“Go to this website and type in the code on your screen.” That hands them control of your computer. Hang up.

“Sign in to your bank so I can send your refund.” That’s how they get into your account.

“See all those errors? That’s the virus.” Those messages are normal on any working computer. Hang up.

“Don’t touch the mouse. Your screen will go black for a minute.” That’s when they work in your accounts. Turn the computer off.

“Your accounts were hacked. I’m transferring you to your bank’s fraud department” (or the Federal Reserve, or a federal agent). The FBI calls this the phantom hacker scam: fake tech support, then a fake bank, then a fake government agent. No bank or agency protects your money by asking you to move it.

“Pay with gift cards.” “Use a Bitcoin ATM.” “A courier will pick up the cash or gold.” No real bank, agency, or company asks for any of these.

“Read me the code we just sent you.” Never read or forward a code to anyone who contacts you.

Finding real tech support

Get the number from the box, the manual, or your receipt, or from the company’s website with the address typed in yourself. Search ads and AI answers can show a scammer’s number: in late 2025, researchers found Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity giving out planted support numbers for airlines. If you search, use the results only to reach the company’s own site, then take the number from there.

If you called a number from the box, the manual, or the company’s site, it’s normal for them to ask to connect. A computer store or someone you trust can help in person.