Tech Support Scams
Pop-ups and unsolicited callers falsely claim a device or account is infected and request payment or remote access.
How this scam operates
An alarming pop-up, email, or unsolicited call claims that a device, subscription, or account has a serious problem. The supposed technician asks for remote access, credentials, or payment. Once connected, they may view private information, alter settings, or fabricate evidence of a refund or security problem.
Details can vary, but the goal is usually to create enough trust, fear, or urgency that you act before verifying the story. Caller ID, profile names, logos, and polished websites can all be copied.
What the scammer wants
Remote access to a device, account credentials, personal files, and payment.
Common tactics
Unexpected contact, urgency, copied identities or websites, unusual payment methods, and resistance to independent checks.
Commonly documented operational hotspots
These are recurring locations in law-enforcement cases and established fraud research—not a ranking of countries or people.
India Primary
U.S. law-enforcement cases repeatedly document India-based call centers and operators using false device, account, and bank-security warnings against victims abroad.
- Association
- Primary documented location
- Evidence source
- Transnational elder-fraud and tech-support prosecutions — U.S. Department of Justice
- Last verified
Warning signs to look for
Unexpected contact
The conversation begins through an unsolicited call, message, email, or pop-up.
Request for device access
You are told to install remote-access software or weaken a security control.
Unusual payment method
Payment is demanded through gift cards, cryptocurrency, cash, or another difficult-to-reverse method.
What to do next
Take protective action even if you are not yet certain this is a scam.
-
immediate response
End the support contact
Close the message or call and contact the company through its official support page.
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Immediate response
Preserve evidence and secure access
Save messages, receipts, account names, URLs, and transaction details. If credentials were exposed, change them from a trusted device and review active sessions.
How to protect yourself
Pause unexpected requests involving money, codes, documents, or account access. Leave the original conversation and verify the claim using an official app, a known website, or a number from a statement or card. Do not rely on caller ID, profile names, or links supplied by the sender.
If you were affected
Stop contact and further payments. Contact the bank, payment service, marketplace, or platform through its official channel. Secure exposed accounts from a trusted device, preserve messages and transaction records, and report through the appropriate official service. Watch for follow-up recovery scams.
Open the recovery checklistRelated practical guides
How to Check a Suspicious Message
A calm verification process for unexpected texts, emails, direct messages, and alerts.
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Read this guideProtect Your Accounts Before a Scam
Practical account settings and habits that reduce the impact of credential theft.
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Read this guideOfficial help and reporting
Choose the service for your location. External links open the organization’s official website.
ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Federal Trade Commission
Official United States service for reporting fraud, scams, and bad business practices.
Action Fraud
City of London Police
The United Kingdom’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Phone: 0300 123 2040
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and Competition Bureau Canada
Canada’s central service for information about fraud and for reporting fraud and cybercrime.
Phone: 1-888-495-8501
Scamwatch
National Anti-Scam Centre
Australian government information and reporting guidance about scams.
Report Phishing
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
United States guidance for recognizing and reporting phishing messages.
Report a scam email
UK National Cyber Security Centre
Official United Kingdom instructions for forwarding suspicious emails, texts, websites, and calls.
Related scam types
Social Media and Account Takeovers
Attackers steal passwords or verification codes, then impersonate account owners to target their contacts.
Read related guide