I got a call saying my computer is infected. Is that real?

Let us be direct, because this scam takes a great deal of money from people every year and it targets older adults especially.

A phone call saying your computer is infected is a scam. Every time. Microsoft does not call you. Apple does not call you. Your internet provider does not monitor your computer for viruses and call you about it. There is no exception to this, so you do not need to work out whether a particular call is genuine.

A full screen warning with a phone number is the same scam. Real security software never gives you a phone number to call. It also never locks your screen with an alarm sound. That page is a website designed to look like a warning, and it is usually reached by a mistyped address or a bad advertisement.

What to do about the screen, in order:

• Close the browser. Press Escape first, since some of these go full screen. If the window will not close, hold the power button until the computer turns off, wait a moment and turn it back on. That is safe to do here.
• When the browser reopens, do not restore the previous tabs. That brings the page straight back.
• Nothing is actually wrong with the computer. Provided you did not call them and did not let anyone connect, you saw a web page and nothing more. No cleanup is needed.

If you did call, or you let someone connect to your computer, this is different and it matters. Disconnect from the internet. Call your bank, particularly if you logged into an account, opened online banking, or were asked to buy gift cards or transfer money, and tell them what happened. Have the computer looked at properly, because remote access tools they installed may still be there. Change the passwords for your email and your bank from a different device. Then report it, to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to your local sheriff's office if money was taken.

If this happened to you or to a family member, Advanced Computer Consulting will check the machine over and make sure nothing was left behind. There is no embarrassment in it. These people are professionals, the scripts are good, and the number of very capable people who have been caught by this would surprise you.