Scam Alert: Nobody From Microsoft Is Going to Call You
The short version: Nobody from Microsoft is going to call you. Not about a virus, not about a refund, not about your router. If someone called you, that is the tell. And if a full-screen warning with a phone number takes over your computer, close it. Never call the number.
The full-screen warning is just a web page
Sirens, flashing red, a phone number, a countdown telling you not to shut down. It looks like your computer is reporting a problem. It isn't. It's a website drawn to look like one, and it has not scanned anything, cannot see your files, and knows nothing about your machine beyond what any website knows.
What to do
- Close the tab. That's usually the whole fix. The page has no power outside the browser window.
- If it won't close, hold the power button until the machine shuts off. You will not break anything.
- Never call the number, and never let anyone connect to your computer remotely, whoever they say they are.
Already let someone in?
Unplug the computer from the network and bring it to us. Don't log into your bank on that machine first. Bring it in as it is, and change your passwords from a different device.
How to tell a real warning from a scam
Windows and macOS do warn you about genuine trouble, but the warning appears quietly, inside the system, and never asks you to dial anyone. Real problems don't come with a phone number.
Always a scam:
- A phone number on the screen
- A countdown or a siren
- "Do not restart your computer"
- An unexpected call about your PC
- Payment in gift cards or crypto
- Anyone asking for remote access
Probably genuine:
- A quiet notification in the corner
- Windows Update asking to restart
- Your antivirus naming a file
- A printer or battery warning
- Nothing asking you to call or pay
When in doubt, ask us instead.
What they are really after
- Remote access. Every version ends with "let me connect and show you." That is the goal.
- A payment. Gift cards, wire transfers, crypto: anything that can't be reversed once it's sent.
- Your passwords. Often taken while they are "fixing" the problem, with you watching the screen.
Think you've been hit? Call us.
Call 216-475-6000 or bring the computer to 5829 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, weekdays 12 to 8, no appointment needed. We handle the repair, the network, the website and the recycling under one roof, with no hand-offs and no phone tree.