A scary warning took over my screen
Flashing red warnings. A loud voice. "Do not turn off your computer." "Call Microsoft Support now." These are built to scare you into acting before you think. Almost all of them are fake: a web page dressed up to look like your computer. Let's get rid of it, then check whether anything else needs doing.
Do this now
- Don't call the number, click the warning or pay anything. Real warnings from Microsoft, Apple or your antivirus never ask you to call a phone number.
- Close the browser. If it won't close, force it closed: the table below shows how.
- When you open the browser again, don't restore your old tabs. If it offers to "restore pages", say no, or the warning comes straight back.
- Already called them, let them control your computer, or paid? Go to If you already called or let them in. It's fixable.
| On a | Force the browser closed |
|---|---|
| Windows computer | Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Pick your browser, then End task. |
| Mac | Press Cmd + Option + Esc. Pick your browser, then Force Quit. |
| Phone or tablet | Swipe the browser app away. |
| Still stuck? | Hold down the power button until it turns off. For a fake warning, that's perfectly safe. |
What kind of warning is it?
| What you see | What it really is | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| A full-screen warning in your browser, maybe with an alarm, a phone number or "your computer is locked" | A fake web page. Your computer is almost certainly fine. | You're done once it's closed. See Pop-ups that keep coming back if it returns. |
| "Virus detected" notices sliding in from the corner, again and again | A website you once allowed to send notifications | Pop-ups that keep coming back |
| An email saying they hacked your camera or recorded you, sometimes quoting an old password, demanding Bitcoin | A bulk blackmail scam sent to millions. They have nothing. | The "I recorded you" email |
| You called a number, or someone took control of your screen | A tech support scam. Time to act. | If you already called or let them in |
| Your files have strange new names, won't open, with a ransom note in your folders | Real ransomware. Rare at home, but it happens. | My files are locked |
Pop-ups that keep coming back
That's almost always one of two things:
- Notifications you allowed by mistake. A site asked to "send notifications" (often disguised as "click Allow to prove you're not a robot") and now sends fake alerts. Open your browser's settings, search for Notifications, then remove any site you don't recognize. On Android, press and hold the notification itself to reach its settings.
- A browser extension you didn't mean to add. Open your browser's extensions or add-ons page. Remove anything you don't recognize or don't use.
For peace of mind, run a scan. On Windows, open Windows Security, choose Virus & threat protection, then Quick scan.
If you already called or let them in
You're not alone: this scam works on all kinds of people, including some very tech-savvy ones. Tech support scammers usually get you to install a remote control app, "find" fake problems, then charge for the fix. Here's how to shut them out.
- Hang up, then disconnect from the internet. Turn off Wi-Fi, or unplug the network cable. This ends any session they still have.
- Remove the remote control app. On Windows, open Settings, Apps, Installed apps. On a Mac, open the Applications folder. Uninstall anything they had you install, or anything you don't recognize. Common ones include AnyDesk, TeamViewer, ScreenConnect, LogMeIn and UltraViewer. They're real tools that scammers misuse, so keep one only if someone you trust set it up for you.
- Run a full scan. On Windows: Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, Scan options, then Full scan.
- From a different device, change your passwords: your email first, then banking, then any password saved in your browser or that they could have seen on screen.
- Paid them, or gave card details? Call your bank or card company now. Our I sent money to a scammer playbook covers every way of paying, including gift cards.
- Did they see your online banking, or ask you to log in "to receive a refund"? Call your bank. Tell them a scammer had remote access while you were signed in.
- Gave personal details like your Social Security number? Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
The "refund" trick. A common version: they say you're owed a refund, have you log in to your bank, then claim they sent too much by mistake. They beg you to send back the difference, often in gift cards. No refund was ever sent. They moved your own money between your accounts, or simply edited what your screen showed. Hang up.
Expect them to call back, sometimes as a "refund department" or "fraud investigator". Don't engage. Hang up.
Still not sure the computer is clean? A local repair shop you trust can check it. You can also reset Windows (Settings, System, Recovery, Reset this PC, then Remove everything) once your photos are backed up.
The "I recorded you" email
These say something like: "I hacked your computer, recorded you through your camera, and I'll send the video to your contacts unless you pay in Bitcoin." Some even quote a real password of yours. It's frightening. It's also a bluff.
- They have no video. The same email goes to millions of people at once.
- The password came from an old data breach at some website, not from your computer. Check where your address has leaked at haveibeenpwned.com.
- What to do: don't reply, don't pay. Change that password anywhere you still use it, turn on two-step sign-in, then delete the email.
If someone really does have images, or a child is being threatened, that's a different, serious crime. Report it to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. For anyone under 18, NCMEC's CyberTipline can help too.
My files are locked
Ransomware scrambles your files, then demands money to unscramble them. It's rare on home computers, but here's what to do:
- Disconnect from the internet. Unplug any backup drive that's connected. Don't plug one in to "check" it, or the ransomware can scramble that too.
- Take a photo of the ransom note with your phone. Don't click its links or contact them.
- Don't pay. The FBI advises against it: paying doesn't guarantee your files come back, and it funds the next attack.
- Look for a free fix. On a different computer, visit No More Ransom, a project run by police and security companies. Its Crypto Sheriff tool identifies the ransomware, then tells you whether a free decryptor exists.
- Check your backups. Cloud storage such as OneDrive can often roll files back to before the attack: look for "restore" or "version history" in its settings. An external drive that was unplugged at the time should be safe.
- Get the computer cleaned or reset before you use it again, then restore your files. A repair shop can help.
- Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov. From a different device, change your email password, then your banking passwords.
Next time
- Pop-ups with phone numbers are always fake. Real companies don't work that way.
- Keep automatic updates on. The security built into Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android is enough for most people, as long as it's up to date.
- Back up what matters, with at least one copy that isn't plugged in all the time.
- Stick a note by the computer: "Never call a number from a pop-up. Call [name] first." Our printable scam sheet does the same job.
Sources
We checked these on October 14, 2026. If a page has changed, the organization's own advice wins.
- FTC: How to spot, avoid and report tech support scams, What to do if you were scammed
- FBI: Ransomware, Internet Crime Complaint Center
- No More Ransom (Europol, national police forces and security companies)
- IdentityTheft.gov, Have I Been Pwned