Virus pop-ups that display a phone number, and cold calls that claim to be Microsoft, Apple, Google, or a broadband provider, are still being used to take control of UK devices. The page may go full screen and look like a system warning. It is still a webpage. Close it. On Windows, Alt+F4 often works. On a Mac, force quit the browser. On a phone, swipe the app away. Do not ring the number on the screen.
Microsoft, Apple, and Google do not cold-call because a pop-up appeared. BT, EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, and Virgin Media do not demand AnyDesk or TeamViewer on an unexpected call to “fix the router”. Remote access is the point of the scam. Once they see your screen they can watch banking apps, passwords, and one-time codes.
A common twist is a fake refund. They tell you to open the bank app so you can see money arriving. What you may be doing is approving a payment out. If they are already connected, disconnect from the network, uninstall the remote-access tool, and change important passwords from a different device. Start with email. Then contact the bank on a number from your card, or call 159 for a UK bank.
Do not type commands the pop-up suggests. Do not buy security software from the caller. If you want a machine checked, use a local shop you chose.
If you have paid or shared card details, tell the issuer and report the fraud to Action Fraud. GOV.UK Stop Think Fraud is useful when a technical panic is being used as cover. Call 999 if you are in immediate danger.
Our longer tech support scams guide in the Safety Centre covers pop-ups, force quit, remote access, and password changes in full. Read that guide if you need the step-by-step. This alert is the short warning: close the page, hang up, never grant screen control to a stranger.
Search the number from the pop-up or the inbound call on WhoCalledMe. Other people may have reported the same script. Those reports are not proof that a private individual committed a crime. If a pop-up number, a callback, and a “senior engineer” line are all in play, add every number on one factual report when the caller keeps changing line. Describe the virus warning and the request for remote access. Do not paste passwords or device serials.
Block the latest number if it keeps ringing. Blocking does not identify an offender. A new display with the same Microsoft or broadband story is still the same attempt.
You do not owe a conversation to a page that locked itself on purpose. Official support waits on a number you found yourself, not on a red banner.
