The pop-up that locked his screen, and the “technician” who unlocked his bank

A blaring warning told a retired engineer his computer was infected. The phone number on it led to a stranger with remote access.

What happened

Walter, 76, was reading the news when his browser filled with a red warning, an alarm sound and a message that his computer had been infected and his banking details were at risk. It said not to turn the computer off and to call support at the number shown.

A friendly technician answered and asked him to install a program so he could “scan” the machine. After a while he said the hackers had already reached Walter’s bank, and that he’d accidentally refunded Walter $35,000 instead of $350. Walter needed to send back the difference with gift cards so the technician didn’t lose his job.

Walter bought $3,500 in gift cards across three stores and read the numbers over the phone.

“It was so loud. I just wanted it to stop, so I called the number.”

The scam

This is a tech support scam. The pop-up is just a web page that fills the screen. It can’t see your computer and can’t harm it. Closing the browser makes it go away.

The program the “technician” asked him to install gave full control of his computer. The “over-refund” was fake: the scammer moved Walter’s own money between his accounts and edited the page so it looked like a deposit.

What Walter did

A cashier at the third store asked who the gift cards were for and warned him it sounded like a scam. Walter went home and called his son, who unplugged the computer and called the bank.

The bank secured his accounts and the gift card company froze the remaining balances, but the money already spent was gone. A local repair shop removed the remote access program.

Red flags

• A pop-up with alarms telling you to call a number.
• Anyone asking you to install software so they can “fix” your computer.
• A refund that’s “too big” and needs paying back.
• Being asked to pay with gift cards. No real company does this.

How to protect yourself

• Real security warnings never ask you to call a phone number. Close the browser, or restart the computer.
• Never let a stranger who contacted you, or whom you reached through a pop-up, control your computer.
• Gift cards are for gifts. Anyone asking you to pay with them is a scammer.
• If someone already had access, disconnect from the internet, call your bank, and get the computer checked.

Every story is a composite of commonly reported cases. Names, places, amounts and links are changed.