You Gave a Scammer Remote Access to Your Computer. Now What?
You fell for a tech support scam and let them into your computer. Here is exactly what to do right now to protect yourself.
Step 1: Disconnect from the Internet Immediately
Unplug the ethernet cable or turn off WiFi. This prevents the scammer from accessing your computer remotely right now. Do not just close the remote access software — they may have installed a backdoor that allows them to reconnect. Disconnecting from the internet is the only way to ensure they cannot currently access your machine.
Step 2: Remove Remote Access Software
The scammer likely installed software like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer, or SupRemo. Go to Settings, Apps, Installed Apps and look for any of these programs. Uninstall them. Also check for programs you do not recognize that were installed today. Sort the installed apps list by install date to see everything added recently. Remove anything suspicious. After uninstalling, also check your startup programs in Task Manager, Startup tab, and disable anything unfamiliar.
Step 3: Change ALL Passwords from a DIFFERENT Device
Use your phone or a different computer that the scammer did not access. Change passwords for your email first, then banking, then credit cards, then social media, then any shopping accounts like Amazon. Do NOT change passwords from the compromised computer — the scammer may have installed a keylogger that captures everything you type. Use unique, strong passwords for each account and enable two-factor authentication everywhere.
Step 4: Scan for Malware
Reconnect to the internet briefly on the compromised computer to download Malwarebytes from malwarebytes.com. Install it and run a full system scan. Remove everything it finds. Also run a full scan with Windows Defender. The scammer may have installed keyloggers, remote access trojans, or other malware beyond the visible remote access software.
Step 5: Contact Your Bank
If you made any payment to the scammer (credit card, gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency), contact your bank or credit card company immediately. Dispute the charge and explain it was a scam. For credit card charges, you are protected by federal law and the charge will likely be reversed. For wire transfers and gift cards, recovery is much harder but still worth reporting. Also monitor your bank statements daily for the next month for unauthorized transactions.
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