How to Spot Scam Calls, Fake Pop-Ups, and Phishing

Scammers are good at sounding official and making you panic. The good news: almost every scam uses the same handful of tricks. Once you know them, they’re easy to spot.

The phone call “from Microsoft”

Someone calls and says your computer is sending out errors or has a virus, and they’re from Microsoft, Apple, Windows, your internet company or “tech support.” Hang up. Microsoft and Apple don’t make unsolicited calls to fix your computer. The goal is to get you to install a remote-control program so they can get into your computer, your bank account, or sell you a fake “fix-it plan.”

The rule is simple: never give remote access to someone who called you. Only let someone connect if you called them at a number you looked up yourself.

The scary pop-up

A full-screen warning appears, maybe with a siren sound, saying your computer is locked or infected and to call a number right away. It looks real. It isn’t. It’s a web page, and your computer is almost always fine.

• Don’t call the number and don’t click anything on the page.
• Close the browser. If it won’t close, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select your browser in Task Manager and click End task.
• Still stuck? Hold the power button until the computer turns off, then turn it back on. When the browser offers to “restore pages,” say no.

Phishing emails and texts

Phishing messages pretend to be your bank, Amazon, PayPal, the post office, a delivery company, or even a toll road saying you owe a fee. Watch for:

• Urgency — “your account will be closed today,” “final notice,” “unpaid balance.”
• A sender address that doesn’t match — look at the actual address, not just the name. Look-alike spellings are common.
• Links that ask you to log in or pay. Instead of clicking, open the company’s app or type their website yourself.
• Requests for a code. If anyone asks you to read back a code that was texted to you, it’s a scam. That code is the key to your account.

The payment gives it away

If someone wants to be paid in gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, or a payment app — especially in a hurry — it’s a scam. Real companies and government agencies don’t ask for gift cards.

The “family emergency” call

A caller says a grandchild or relative is in trouble and needs money right now, and not to tell anyone. Voices can even be faked with software today. Hang up and call your family member directly at the number you already have. Some families agree on a code word for real emergencies — it’s a good idea.

If you already clicked, called, or paid

Don’t be embarrassed — these scams fool smart people every day. Act fast:

• Disconnect the computer from the internet if a scammer had remote access (unplug the cable or turn off Wi-Fi).
• Call your bank or card company using the number on the back of your card.
• Change your passwords — email first — from a different device you trust, and turn on two-step login.
• Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also contact the West Virginia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
• Get the computer checked for anything the scammer left behind.

One last thing: MasterTech will never cold-call you asking to get into your computer. If someone says they’re me and you didn’t call first, hang up and call me back at the number on this website.