A loud warning appears, maybe with an alarm sound and a phone number to call. It looks serious, and that is the point. These pop-ups are designed to scare you. Here is what to do.
What it usually is
In most cases it is a fake alert from a scam web page, not a real warning from your computer. Real security software does not tell you to phone a stranger to fix an infection.
What to do right away
- Do not call the number and do not click anything in the pop-up, including the close button, which can be part of the trick.
- Close the browser. On Windows, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, open Task Manager and end the browser. On a Mac, press Cmd + Option + Esc and force quit it. If it will not close, restart the computer.
- Reopen the browser without restoring the old tabs, so the scam page does not load again.
- On Windows, run a full scan with the built-in Windows Security.
- Check your browser settings. Remove any extensions you do not recognize, and turn off notification permissions for sites you do not trust.
If you already called or let someone in
Do not panic, but act quickly. Disconnect the computer from the internet and, from a different device, change the passwords for your email and bank accounts. If you paid anything or shared card details, contact your bank or card company right away. Then have the computer checked, because someone may have installed remote access software.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you are not sure your computer is clean, we can check it, remove anything that should not be there and show you what to watch for next time. See our virus removal service.