Spotting and avoiding tech support scams

Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of Federal Trade Commission. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by Federal Trade Commission.

Spotting and avoiding tech support scams

Summary

Real tech companies do not call, email or text you about a problem with your computer, and real security pop-ups never ask you to call a phone number. Hang up, do not give remote access, and report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Draft. License: public domain (US government work). Sources: [S1] Federal Trade Commission, "How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams"; [S2] Federal Trade Commission, "Seemingly urgent security messages could lead to tech support scams"; [S3] Federal Trade Commission, "New tech support scammers want your life savings".

Facts

id: F1 claim: These scams often begin with a fake pop-up warning, a call or text from a supposed technician, or search ads and sites that lead to a scammer phone number. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F2 claim: Scammers ask for remote access, pretend to find a virus, and charge a fee to fix it. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F3 claim: They push payment by gift card, wire or bank transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app because that money is hard to get back. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F4 claim: A newer version claims your bank account was hacked and hands you to a fake government agent who tells you to move money to protect it; only scammers say that. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S3] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F5 claim: Fake subscription-renewal messages urge you to call within 24 hours to dispute a charge; check your real account instead of using the number in the message. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F6 claim: Legitimate security pop-ups never ask you to call a phone number. confidence: high date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S1, S2, S3] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02
id: F7 claim: If worried, update and run your security software, and contact a technician using contact details from the company official website. confidence: medium date: 2026-11-02 sources: [S2] license: public domain (US government work) checked_on: 2026-11-02

Pointers

id: P1 answers: Where to report where: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ access: free, public web page

Source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams · License: public-domain · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of Federal Trade Commission. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by Federal Trade Commission.

Cite this

Permanent ID: iil:note:fwsm24qb

iinventedlight Library. 2026. "Spotting and avoiding tech support scams." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:fwsm24qb, version of 2026-11-02. https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/tech-support-scams/. License: public-domain. Summary of https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.

@misc{iil_note_fwsm24qb,
  author = {{iinventedlight Library}},
  title = {{Spotting and avoiding tech support scams}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-02},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/us-gov/tech-support-scams/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:fwsm24qb. License: public-domain. Summary of https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.},
}

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/tech-support-scams.md.