A loud pop-up fills the screen. It says your computer is infected, your bank account is at risk, and you must call a number right now. Sometimes it even plays a siren or a voice.
This is one of the most common scams on the internet. The good news: once you know the signs, it is easy to spot.
The warning signs
- You did not ask for help. Real companies do not pop up on your screen, call you out of the blue, or email you to say your computer has a virus.
- There is a countdown or a threat. "Call in 5 minutes or your files will be deleted." Pressure is the scammer's main tool.
- The browser seems frozen. The page goes full screen and will not close. That is a web page, not a real virus.
- They want payment in gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto. No real support company asks you to buy gift cards.
- They ask you to log in to your bank "so they can refund you." This is the refund scam. They fake a refund on screen and then claim you were overpaid.
What to do if you see the pop-up
- Do not call the number.
- Close the browser. On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, pick the browser, and click End task. On a Mac, press Command + Option + Esc and choose Force Quit.
- When you open the browser again, do not restore the old tabs.
- If the page keeps coming back, restart the computer.
If you already let someone in
It happens to careful people every day. Act quickly:
- Turn off the internet (unplug the cable or turn off Wi-Fi).
- Uninstall any remote access program they had you install, such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or UltraViewer, unless you use it yourself.
- From a different device, change your email password first, then your bank passwords.
- Call your bank using the number on the back of your card and tell them what happened.
- If you paid with a gift card, call the number on the card right away. Sometimes the money can still be frozen.
What a real technician will never ask for
A trustworthy technician will never:
- ask for your bank password or have you log in to your bank during a session,
- ask you to buy gift cards,
- ask for a crypto wallet seed phrase or recovery words,
- refuse to let you end the session.
At Honesty Support, you start the session, you can see everything the technician does, and you can stop it at any time with one click. You see the price before anything is booked.
Not sure? Ask a person
If something on your screen does not look right, stop and ask before you click. Call or text us at 1-888-711-9954, or tell us what you see and a real technician will help you check.