How to Help a Grandparent Spot Fake Tech Support Pop-Ups

By Austin Little

A fake virus warning is not a test of intelligence. It is a piece of stagecraft, with sirens, logos, a countdown, and a phone number, built to make a careful person panic for ninety seconds. The fix is not lecturing anyone. It is rehearsing a calm exit together until the exit is a habit.

AI disclosure. This page was drafted with AI assistance and edited for Apiary. We don't invent quotes, stats, people, or events.

Start here: this is not about being "bad with computers"

Let's say the respectful thing first, because it changes how every conversation goes.

People who fall for tech support scams are not foolish. Many of them are the most conscientious people in the family: the ones who pay bills on time, answer the phone politely, and take a warning seriously when a warning appears. Scammers aim at exactly those virtues. A pop-up that says your bank account is exposed works because the reader cares about protecting the bank account.

So if you are a grandchild, adult child, neighbor, or friend reading this, drop the phrase "you just have to be smarter." Replace it with "these things are designed by professionals to be scary, so let's make a plan the same way we'd plan for a fire." Fire drills don't insult anyone. They acknowledge that panic makes everyone slower.

And if you are the grandparent reading this on your own: welcome. Nothing here assumes you are behind. It assumes you are a busy adult who deserves the same short checklist the rest of us are quietly using.

What the official sources actually say

There's plenty of folklore about scams. Here's what the agencies that collect the complaints say, in their own framing, as of the date we checked their pages (October 4, 2026).

The FTC's two-sentence rule

The Federal Trade Commission's consumer page on tech support scams boils prevention down to two things to remember:

Legitimate tech companies won't contact you by phone, email, or text message to tell you there's a problem with your computer.
Real security pop-up warnings and messages will never ask you to call a phone number.

If your family takes away only one thing from this article, take that second line. A warning with a phone number in it is the scam. You don't have to judge the logo, the spelling, or the tone. The phone number settles it.

The FTC also explains how these scams start: a bogus pop-up that looks like it comes from a well-known company, a cold call or text from someone pretending to be a technician, or a scammer's site showing up in search results or ads for "tech support." Once someone calls, the scammer asks for remote access, pretends to scan, "finds" a problem, and asks to be paid to fix it.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

The FBI's IC3 groups tech and customer support fraud together with government impersonation, because, in its words, these frauds are often carried out by the same criminals, who frequently use tactics from both at once. IC3 says these call-center frauds "overwhelmingly target older adults."

IC3's protection tips, paraphrased closely:

Resist pressure to act quickly. The urgency is the tool.
Don't click unsolicited pop-ups, or links and attachments in texts and emails.
Don't call a phone number shown in a pop-up, text, or email.
Don't download software because an unknown person who contacted you asked you to.
Don't let an unknown person who contacted you take control of your devices or accounts.
The U.S. government and law enforcement will never ask you to send money by wire to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, crypto ATMs, gift or prepaid cards, or by shipping cash or precious metals.
Be careful with support numbers found by searching. IC3 notes that numbers in a "sponsored" results section are often boosted by search advertising.
Keep security software up to date, and consider ad-blocking software to reduce pop-ups and malicious ads.

Microsoft's own line

Because so many fake pop-ups wear Microsoft's logo, it's worth knowing what Microsoft says on its support site: Microsoft error and warning messages never include phone numbers. Microsoft also says it doesn't make unsolicited calls to offer tech support and will never ask for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency. If someone calls claiming to be Microsoft Support and you didn't ask for help, Microsoft's advice is to hang up.

Apple, Google, your antivirus company, and your internet provider aren't quoted here because we didn't check each of their pages for this article.

What a fake pop-up looks like, piece by piece

It helps to name the tricks out loud, because a named trick loses much of its power. Microsoft's support page lists several techniques scam websites use, and the FTC and IC3 describe the rest. You'll usually see a few of these at once:

The phone number

Already covered, but it bears repeating: this is the tell that matters most. Toll-free formatting, a "certified technician" label, a little headset icon — none of that makes it real.

Full screen that seems to take over the computer

Microsoft notes that scam sites can push the browser into full-screen mode so the warning looks like it is coming from the computer itself rather than a webpage. That's the main illusion. The computer is usually fine. A website is just filling the screen.

Pop-ups that keep coming back

Close one box and another appears. Microsoft lists "continuously display pop-up windows" as a common technique. This makes people feel trapped, which is the point.

Sound

Some fake warnings play an alarm or a recorded voice saying your computer is infected and you must call now. Microsoft mentions audio messages specifically. A computer talking at you in a panicked voice is a webpage, not a diagnosis.

Big-name logos and official-sounding codes

Brand logos, fake error codes, a fake "blue screen," or a fake Windows activation box. Microsoft describes all of these. They are pictures. Anyone can paste a picture.

Countdown timers and threats

"Your data will be deleted in 5:00." "Do not turn off your computer." "Your IP address has been reported." These are pressure, and IC3's first tip is to resist the pressure to act quickly.

The "you were charged" variation

Not every scam starts with a pop-up. The FTC describes fake emails or texts claiming you were charged hundreds of dollars to renew a tech support subscription, often using names like Geek Squad, McAfee, or Norton, with a demand to call within 24 hours to dispute it. IC3's November 2022 warning describes the same pattern, with fake renewal prices it says commonly ran in the range of $300 to $500. The FTC's simple check: look at your actual card or bank statement. If there's no such charge, the message was a scam.

The calm exit: what to actually do when the pop-up appears

Here's the sequence we'd put on a card by the computer. It's written so it works even when your heart is pounding.

Step 1: Hands off the phone

Don't call the number. Don't text it. Don't email it. That single move defeats the whole scam, because the scam needs a conversation to work.

Step 2: Don't click inside the warning

Not "OK," not "Cancel," not "Scan now," not the little X inside the box. Fake boxes can have fake buttons. IC3 says not to click unsolicited pop-ups at all.

Step 3: Close the browser, not the box

The goal is to close the whole web browser (Edge, Chrome, Safari, Firefox), which closes the scary page with it. How you do that depends on the device, and this is where we want a family helper to physically show the grandparent on their machine, because menus and shortcuts differ between versions:

Microsoft warns that some scam pages try to disable Task Manager.

One detail to rehearse: when the browser reopens, it may offer to restore the previous pages.

Step 4: Breathe, then tell someone

The FTC says plainly: not sure if it's a scam? Talk to someone you trust — a friend, family member, or neighbor. That's not a sign of weakness. It's the official recommendation. A two-minute call to a grandchild breaks the spell the scam depends on.

Step 5: If you're still worried, check through the front door

If you think there might really be a problem, the FTC's advice is to update your security software and run a scan yourself, or take the computer to someone you know and trust. In-person computer stores and the software company's own support site, reached by typing the address yourself or using a bookmark, count as the front door. The phone number in a pop-up never does.

The phone side of the same scam

A lot of families focus only on pop-ups and forget the scam often moves to the phone within minutes.

Spoofed caller ID

Microsoft notes that scammers can spoof caller ID so it shows a legitimate company's support number. Caller ID isn't proof. If a "support" call arrives that you didn't ask for, hang up and call the company at a number from a statement, the back of a card, or a bookmark you set up earlier.

The "refund" story

IC3's July 2023 warning describes scammers telling older victims they're owed a refund, then saying the only way to send it is to connect to the victim's computer and deposit it into their bank account. Real refunds don't need someone to remote into your computer. The same warning describes scammers then claiming they "accidentally" refunded too much and pressuring the victim to send the difference back — in that case, in cash, hidden in magazines and shipped to an address they provide.

The "Phantom Hacker" layer: when tech support hands you to a fake bank or fake government

This is the part families most need to hear, because it is where the big losses happen.

In a September 2023 public service announcement, the FBI described "Phantom Hacker" scams as an evolution of tech support scams that layers three fake roles: tech support, then a financial institution, then a government agency. The script, simplified:

A fake tech support rep gets remote access and "discovers" that a hacker got into your accounts.
A fake bank representative calls to confirm the danger and tells you to move your money to "protect" it.
A fake government official (sometimes using a real agency's name) backs the story up and pressures you to keep it secret.

The FTC describes the same handoff: the fake technician transfers you to someone who "supposedly works for the government," who may give a badge number or case number. The FTC states clearly that someone who works for the government will never say you must transfer your money to protect it, will never tell you to put your money in a "federal safety locker" (it says there's no such thing), and will never demand payment in cash or gold.

The FBI's numbers in that 2023 announcement are sobering. Between January and June 2023, IC3 received 19,000 complaints related to tech support scams, with estimated losses over $542 million. Almost 50% of those victims were over 60, and they accounted for 66% of the losses. Those figures are from the 2023 PSA and describe that period.

The protective rule that falls out of this is simple enough to memorize: nobody legitimate will ever tell you to move your money to keep it safe. Not your bank, not the FBI, not the FTC, not Microsoft.

Payment red flags that end the conversation

Once money comes up, there's a short list of payment methods that should make anyone hang up. The FTC says tech support scammers often insist on gift cards, wire transfers, bank transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps, because these work like cash: once sent, the money is hard to recover. IC3 adds crypto ATMs, prepaid cards, and shipping or mailing cash or precious metals. The FTC mentions requests to buy gold or withdraw cash and hand it to someone.

Put another way, if a "support" conversation includes any of these words, it's over:

gift card
wire
Bitcoin, crypto, or a crypto ATM
payment app
cash in a package, magazine, or envelope
gold or precious metals
a courier coming to the house to pick something up

How to talk about this without making anyone feel small

Most of the difference between a family plan that works and one that gets ignored is tone. Some phrasing that respects everyone:

Instead of "Don't fall for this stuff"

Try: "These scams are run by call centers with scripts and training. I'd want a plan too if strangers were practicing on me all day."

Instead of "Just call me before you do anything"

Try: "Can we make a deal that we both call each other when something online feels urgent? I get fake texts all the time too."

That's honest, and it makes the habit mutual instead of supervisory.

Instead of taking the mouse

Sit beside them and let them drive. People remember what their own hands did. If you fix it yourself, all you teach is that you exist.

Instead of shame after a mistake

If someone already called a number, or even paid, lead with this: "Thank you for telling me. You did the right thing by telling me. Let's fix what we can." Scammers count on embarrassment to keep victims quiet. IC3 notes that fake government callers often press for secrecy. Your warmth is the counter-move.

Practice the exit together (a 15-minute drill)

Practice turns panic into muscle memory. Here's a gentle drill families can run at the kitchen table.

Minutes 0–3: Show a picture. Find a screenshot of a fake pop-up from a reputable source, such as a government or company scam-awareness page, and look at it together. Don't visit live scam sites to "demonstrate." Point out the phone number, the logo, the countdown.

Minutes 3–8: Rehearse the exit on their own computer. Open a harmless webpage, then have them close the entire browser using the method you'll put on the card. Do it three times. Then do a restart together so they've seen that a restart is safe and normal.

Minutes 8–12: Role-play the phone call. You play "Kevin from Microsoft." They practice saying, "I don't take support calls I didn't ask for. Goodbye," and hanging up. Laugh about it. It's okay if it feels silly. Silly is memorable.

Minutes 12–15: Write the card together. In their handwriting if possible. People trust their own handwriting.

The card by the computer

Here's a version you can copy. Edit it so it sounds like your family.

If a warning pops up with a phone number: 1. It's fake. Real warnings don't have phone numbers. 2. Don't call. Don't click inside it. 3. Close the browser (how: ________). If stuck, restart the computer. 4. Call ________ at ________ just to say what happened. Never: give remote access to someone who contacted me, read out a code, or pay with gift cards, wire, crypto, cash in a package, or gold. Nobody real ever tells me to move my money to keep it safe. Real numbers: Bank ________ · Card ________ · Family ________

Setup that makes the scary pages rarer

You can't block every scam, but you can make them less frequent and less convincing.

Keep things updated

IC3 recommends keeping antivirus, security, and malware protection up to date, and notes that some victims reported their security software warned them before the attempt. Turn on automatic updates for the operating system and browser. This is dull, and dull is good.

Reduce pop-ups and malicious ads

IC3 suggests ad-blocking software to cut down on pop-ups and "malvertising." A reputable, free ad-blocking extension in the browser can help.

Microsoft says its Edge browser blocks known support-scam sites using Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and can stop pop-up dialog loops.

Bookmarks beat searching

Set up bookmarks for the bank, the email provider, the pharmacy, and any site they use regularly, so they don't have to search (and risk a sponsored scam result). Put them in a "Mine" folder on the bookmarks bar.

Big text and fewer surprises

Larger text, a tidy home page, and a single browser reduce confusion. Confusion is where scams find room.

Can free AI help here? Carefully, yes

Apiary is a place that talks a lot about free and local AI, so it's fair to ask whether a chatbot helps with scam spotting. It can, as a second opinion, with firm rules.

Good uses

"Does this sound like a scam?" Type out the words from a suspicious email or pop-up (no personal details) into a free AI chat or a local model and ask what red flags it notices. Many will point out the urgency, the phone number, and the payment request. It's a useful rehearsal partner.
Practicing what to say. Ask the AI to play a pushy fake technician so you can practice hanging up. It sounds odd, but it builds confidence.
Drafting a report. After an incident, AI can help organize notes into a clear timeline before you file with the FTC or IC3.

Hard rules

AI is never the decider. The FTC rule decides: a warning with a phone number is fake.
Never paste passwords, account numbers, Social Security or Medicare numbers, or one-time codes into any AI tool.
Never let an AI chatbot, or anyone, talk you into installing remote-access software.
If a "helper" chatbot inside a pop-up offers to assist, that's part of the scam page. Close the browser.

A family member can set up a free local option such as Ollama on a home computer so practice conversations don't leave the house. Ollama's FAQ says that when you run models locally, it doesn't see your prompts or data. For the wider setup, see Apiary's guide to using AI without paying.

If they already called, paid, or let someone in

Mistakes happen to careful people. Here's the cleanup, drawn from the FTC and Microsoft pages:

Right away

Hang up and disconnect. If someone has remote access, end the call.
Call the bank and card company using the number on the card or statement. Microsoft advises contacting your credit card provider to contest charges if you've already paid. The FTC advises reporting unauthorized charges and asking for them to be reversed.
Change passwords. The FTC says if you gave a scammer your username and password, change it right away, and change it anywhere else you reused it.

Soon after

Remove what they installed. Microsoft says to uninstall any applications scammers asked you to install.
Scan and update. Microsoft recommends a full scan with Windows Security and installing all security updates.
Consider a reset. Microsoft says if scammers had access, resetting the device may be worth considering, especially if fake errors keep appearing. A trusted helper or in-person shop can do this.

Report it (reporting is strength)

FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says reports help it build cases.
FBI IC3: ic3.gov. IC3 asks for as much detail as possible: websites, phone numbers, and emails the scammer used; account names and institutions that received money, even if no money was lost; a description of what happened; and the email, site, or link that caused the pop-up. It encourages keeping all original documentation.
Microsoft: microsoft.com/reportascam, whether or not the scammer claimed to be Microsoft.
Local law enforcement, especially if a courier came to the house or cash or gold was handed over.

Write down what you remember while it's fresh. Times, names used, numbers called. That's useful for the bank and for investigators.

And emotionally

Say it out loud: being targeted by a professional criminal operation isn't a character flaw. IC3 calls these "call center frauds," often run by the same criminal groups over and over. Getting caught by one says something about the people running it, not about the person who answered. What matters now is getting the right people involved quickly, and that's exactly what reporting does.

Common questions families type in

"Is a pop-up saying my computer is infected real?" If it shows a phone number, no. The FTC says real security warnings never ask you to call a number. Microsoft says its warnings never include phone numbers.

"My computer screen is locked with a warning and a phone number. What do I do?" Don't call. Close the browser, and if that doesn't work, restart the computer. Most "locked" screens are a webpage in full-screen mode.

"Someone called saying they're from Microsoft. Is it real?" Microsoft says it doesn't make unsolicited support calls. Hang up.

"They said my bank account was hacked and I need to move my money." That's the Phantom Hacker pattern the FBI warned about. Nobody legitimate tells you to move money to protect it. Call your bank yourself at the number on your card.

"We already paid with gift cards." Contact the gift card company and report it to the FTC and IC3 right away.

"Do we need to buy antivirus to be safe?" Paid protection isn't required to follow any of the advice here. The habits do most of the work: don't call pop-up numbers, keep things updated, and use built-in security tools. Windows includes Windows Security, which Microsoft references for scans. Keep it on.

Bottom line

A fake tech support pop-up is a costume. It wants a phone call, and then remote access, and then money. You defeat it at the first step: real warnings never include a phone number. Close the browser, restart if needed, call someone you trust, and never move money because a stranger says it's in danger.

Families protect each other best by rehearsing, not scolding. Make the card together. Practice hanging up. Set bookmarks. And when anyone, of any age, gets fooled, answer with "thank you for telling me" and a quick report. That's how you take the power out of a scam built on panic and shame.

References

FTC — How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams (fetched 2026-10-04)
FTC — ReportFraud.ftc.gov — https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
FBI IC3 — Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation — https://www.ic3.gov/CrimeInfo/TechSupportGovImpersonation (fetched 2026-10-04)
FBI IC3 PSA230929 — "Phantom Hacker" Scams Target Senior Citizens — https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230929 (fetched 2026-10-04)
FBI IC3 PSA230718 — Tech Support Scams Directing Victims to Send Cash through Shipping Companies — https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230718 (fetched 2026-10-04)
FBI IC3 PSA221110 — Computer-Technical Support Impersonation Scams and Wire Transfers — https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2022/PSA221110 (fetched 2026-10-04)
FBI — Tech Support Scams — https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/tech-support-scams (fetched 2026-10-04)
Microsoft Support — Protect yourself from tech support scams — https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/protect-yourself-from-tech-support-scams-2ebf91bd-f94c-2a8a-e541-f5c800d18435 (fetched 2026-10-04)
Ollama FAQ — https://docs.ollama.com/faq (fetched 2026-10-04)