Tech support scams: how they work and what to do
Fake support that turns into remote control, including bank and company impersonation.
A tech support scam is someone pretending to fix a problem with your computer or one of your accounts, so they can take your money. Sometimes the problem is invented from nothing. Sometimes it’s a frightening warning they planted. Either way, the fix involves letting them onto your computer and, sooner or later, paying.
It’s one of the most common scams reported to the FBI. Its 2025 Internet Crime Report counted 47,794 complaints about tech and customer support scams, with about $2.13 billion in reported losses. Most cases never get reported, so the real figures are higher.
If a caller is connected to your computer right now, follow our two-minute checklist first and come back to this later.
How do tech support scammers find you?
There are four usual ways in. In two of them you make the first move, which is exactly why it doesn’t feel like a scam.
- A pop-up while you’re browsing says your computer is locked or infected, and gives a number to call. One recent example is the fake Microsoft Defender Security Center pop-up that appears after clicking a Google ad.
- An email or text mentions an order, a renewal or a charge you don’t recognize, with a number to call if you want to cancel.
- You search for support for your printer, your email or your bank, and the top result is a scammer’s ad.
- Someone calls from “Microsoft”, “Windows”, Apple, your internet provider or “the technical department”, saying your computer has been reporting errors.
What do they say on the call?
The person on the line is calm, polite and sounds like they know what they’re doing. They’ll often have you open a Windows tool called Event Viewer, which lists warnings and errors, and tell you each one is a sign of hacking. Every Windows computer has those warnings. They mean nothing.
Then they ask to connect, so they can fix it. From there the call goes one of a few ways. They sell you a “security package” for a few hundred dollars. They discover that your bank account has been hacked and you need to move your money. Or they process a refund that goes wrong in your favor and ask you to send the difference back.
How they want to be paid gives it away: gift cards, a Bitcoin ATM, a wire transfer, or cash collected by a courier. No real company asks for any of those.
How can you tell it’s a scam?
- They contacted you, or the number came from a pop-up, text or email you weren’t expecting.
- There’s a deadline. Your account closes in an hour, or the hackers are in right now.
- They want to connect to your computer to fix something they’ve never seen.
- They ask you to stay on the line, keep it secret, or avoid talking to your bank. Some tell people the bank staff are involved.
- They want payment by gift card, crypto, wire or courier.
Does Microsoft or my bank ever call about my computer?
Microsoft and Apple don’t call you about problems with your computer, and Microsoft says its real error messages never include a phone number. Your bank might call about a suspicious payment, but it won’t ask you to install anything, let it connect to your computer, or move your money. If a call worries you, hang up and ring the number on the company’s own website, your bill or the back of your card. Use a different phone if you can.
The fake Microsoft support calls guide goes through the Microsoft version of the call in more detail.
If one of them is on the phone right now
Hang up. You don’t owe them an explanation. If they’re connected to your computer, turn off its internet: airplane mode, Wi-Fi off, or unplug the cable. Then call your bank from another phone.
If you already paid or let them in
- Call your bank or card company straight away. The sooner you call, the better the chance of stopping a payment.
- If you paid with gift cards, call the company that issued them, and keep the cards and receipts. Sometimes the money hasn’t been spent yet.
- If you sent a wire or used a Bitcoin ATM, contact the wire service or the ATM operator as well as your bank.
- Remove whatever they installed and change your passwords from another device. Our guide on what to do after a remote access scam has the full list.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, and speed matters most. A card payment can often be disputed through your card company, and a bank transfer that hasn’t gone through yet can sometimes be stopped. Gift cards and crypto are much harder, which is why scammers ask for them, but it’s still worth calling the gift card company or the ATM operator the same day.
Be careful with anyone who contacts you afterwards offering to recover your money for a fee, even if they say they’re from the FTC, the FBI or a law firm. That is often the same scammers coming back for a second payment. Government agencies don’t charge to help you, and the reports you file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov are free.
Stopping the next call before it gets anywhere
Nearly every version of this scam needs the same thing: a remote connection to your computer. Xcelcor Guardian is a Windows 11 app that holds every new connection from tools like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Assist and ScreenConnect until the account holder approves it, by email or on our website. If that’s a family member, the caller can’t reach them and doesn’t know they exist. If it’s you, you decide from your phone, away from the voice on the line. It isn’t antivirus and won’t stop every scam, but it puts a pause in the one step these calls depend on. You can see how it works.
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