A pop-up on my computer says my computer is locked and I need to call a Microsoft support number to fix it. Is this real?
This is 100 percent a scam. Microsoft never displays pop-ups with phone numbers, never locks your computer with a warning, and never asks you to call them. Do NOT call the number — they will try to charge you hundreds of dollars for fake tech support and may install actual malware or steal your financial information. To close the pop-up, try pressing Alt+F4 to close the browser window. If that does not work, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, find your browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) in the list, and click End Task. If you cannot access Task Manager, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to force shut down. After restarting, your computer should be fine. Clear your browser cache and cookies to prevent the pop-up from returning: in Chrome go to Settings, Privacy and Security, Clear Browsing Data, select All Time, check all boxes, and click Clear Data. Install uBlock Origin browser extension to block future scam pop-ups. If you already called the number and gave them remote access to your computer, immediately disconnect from the internet, change all your passwords from a different device, contact your bank if you made any payment, and run Malwarebytes to remove anything they may have installed.
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