Scam Library
Tech Support Scams
A pop-up on your screen (sometimes with an alarming sound) claims your computer has a virus and provides a number to call. Or you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from a well-known tech company. Either way, they push you to install remote-access software or pay for unnecessary 'repairs.'
Warning signs
What to watch for
- Pop-ups that lock your browser or won't close, urging you to call a number
- Unsolicited calls claiming to be tech support from a major company
- A request to install remote-desktop software so they can 'fix' your computer
- Payment requested through gift cards, wire transfer — or a cashier's check or money order mailed to an address they provide
Stay safe
How to verify
- Never grant remote access to your device based on an unsolicited call or pop-up
- Restart your computer to close the pop-up rather than calling any number it displays, and if concerned, contact the device manufacturer directly through their official site
- Treat any instruction to mail a cashier's check or money order to 'protect' your account or pay for a repair as a serious warning sign on its own — federal investigators have traced millions of dollars in elder-fraud losses to exactly this pattern
Already sent money or shared a password?
Contact your bank using the number on the back of your card, or the official number on your statement — not any number from the suspicious message.
Not sure if something you received matches this pattern?
Check a Message