Tech support scam
A scam in which fake pop-ups, phone calls or search ads lead you to a fake technician who asks for remote access to your computer, claims to find viruses and charges you to remove them.
The FTC describes several ways in. A pop-up on your screen warns of a problem and gives a phone number. A call or text comes from someone claiming to be a technician from a well-known company. Or you search for tech support and a scammer’s site appears among the results, because they paid to be prominent.
Once you are talking to them, the scammer asks for remote access to your computer, pretends to scan it for viruses, and says they have found malicious programs. They offer to remove them for a fee. The FTC says they demand payment in gift cards, wire transfers, bank transfers, cryptocurrency or payment apps, because once you pay it is hard to get your money back.
Some escalate. They say they have found hacked accounts or links to a serious crime and pass you to someone posing as a government official, who demands you move money or pay in cash or gold. Others send fake renewal notices for a tech support subscription, using names like Geek Squad or Norton, telling you to call a number within 24 hours to dispute a charge.
Where it shows up
- Fake tech support · A fake problem with your computer, solved by giving a stranger control of it, and then of your bank.
- Refund and remote access scams · A refund you never asked for, paid in too generously, and a screen you no longer control while you send the difference back.
Sources
- How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams. US Federal Trade Commission. Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: The contact methods, the remote access and fake scan, the payment methods and the escalation and fake renewal variants.