Fake technical support: “Your computer is infected”

The fake technical support scam is a fraud in which a scammer presents himself as a technician from a major brand (Microsoft, Apple, Orange, Free, SFR) or from your bank, and claims that your computer is infected or hacked. Its objective: to have you install remote control software, then charge you for false repairs, steal your banking details or make transfers before your eyes. It starts with a phone call or a false alert that blocks the screen.

How the scam works, step by step

1. 1
   Contact — an alarming call or frozen screen

   Two entrance doors. Or a call: “This is Microsoft Support, your computer is sending infection signals”. Or an alarming web page that blocks the screen, sounds an alarm and displays a “helpline” number to call urgently. In both cases, the panic is fabricated: the computer has nothing.

2. 2
   The demonstration – very convincing false “symptoms”

   The fake technician causes normal system tools (event logs, command prompt) to open and presents their innocuous messages as evidence of infection. For a person not very comfortable with computers, the demonstration seems unstoppable — that is exactly its goal.

3. 3
   Taking control — “install this little software”

   The scammer guides the installation of legitimate remote access software (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer…). Once connected, it sees everything, controls everything: files, saved passwords, navigation. The victim observes his cursor moving “on its own” while believing he is witnessing a repair.

4. 4
   Collection – false recovery or real looting

   “Gentle” version: charge €100 to €500 for a fictitious cleaning, sometimes in the form of a recurring subscription. Serious version: open online banking during the session, retrieve identifiers, validate “test” transfers… Taking control becomes direct access to savings.

5. 5
   The return — the victim becomes a priority target

   A victim who has paid once is reminded: “reimbursement” as a pretext for further manipulation, “renewal” of the fictitious subscription, false service fraud. Contact details circulate between scam networks. Hence the importance of cutting all contact and securing the machine after the first incident.

The 5 warning signs to know

Just one of these signals is enough to identify a fake tech support scam — the first one alone is a sure thing.

• We spontaneously call you about a computer problem. Microsoft, Apple, Google, Orange, Free, SFR or your bank never call to report a virus. Never. This appeal does not exist in legitimate procedures.

• A full-screen alert displays a phone number. Real security alerts (antivirus, browser) never ask you to call a number. An “alert” with a number to call is always fraudulent.

• You are asked to install remote access software. AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer… These tools are legitimate, but no serious support will make you install them during a call that you did not request.

• The requested payment is unusual. Prepaid cards, gift cards, immediate transfer, cryptocurrency: no legitimate technical support charges like this.

• We rush you and we keep you in line. “Don’t hang up”, “your account will be emptied within the hour”. The urgency and the ban on hanging up serve to prevent any verification with a loved one.

What to do if you are a victim?

If a stranger has taken over your computer or you have paid, act in this order:

1. Turn off the computer's internet connection. Unplug the cable or turn off the Wi-Fi: this ends remote access immediately.
2. Uninstall remote access software installed during the call, then have the machine scanned by an up-to-date antivirus or a professional before using sensitive services again.
3. Change your passwords from another healthy device — online banking and messaging first, because messaging allows you to reset all other accounts.
4. Contact your bank. Object if you have paid, dispute the payment, and monitor your accounts in the weeks that follow.
5. File a complaint and report. On cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, which offers a reflex sheet and assistance dedicated to fake technical support, and 33700 for the number used.

How Kin-Guard detects this scam

The fake technician always calls from a number unknown to the recipient. Kin-Guard responds before your loved one, asks for the identity and reason for the call, and recognizes the typical patterns of this fraud: alleged urgent computer problem, request to install software, referral to payment. These calls simply don't go through — your loved one never hears the panic scenario, and you are notified of the attempt in the app.

Frequently asked questions

Article written by Charlie BART, founder of Kin-Guard. Published on July 7, 2026.

Sources: Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — False technical support reflex sheet · Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — 2023 activity report

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