Scam emergency · patient local help
Gave a scammer remote access to your computer? Here's how to put it right
Take a breath — this scam catches thousands of sensible people, and acting now puts it right. Work through the steps below, then let our patient local team check the computer over properly before you use it for anything important. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● We phone first — never pop-ups
- ● Family-run since 1995
- ● Rated 4.9 on Google
// DON'T BLAME YOURSELF
This happens to sensible people — and it can be put right
If someone claiming to be Microsoft, BT, Amazon — or even your bank — talked you into letting them connect to your computer, you are not foolish and you are not alone. These criminals run professional, rehearsed operations: a convincing phone call, an alarming pop-up with a number to ring, or a 'refund' that suddenly looks like too much money landed in your account and must be sent back. They catch thousands of sensible people.
Here's the good news: acting now puts you back in control. The computer is almost never ruined, banks can often stop or recover money if they hear quickly, and every account the scammer might have touched can be secured. Work through the six steps below, then let us give the computer a proper once-over before you use it for anything important.
And if you'd rather just talk to a calm human first, call us on 01202 775566 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm). This is something we help local people with, and we will never make you feel silly.
// NEED THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW?
Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)
// DO THIS NOW
Six steps to take right now
Do these in order. Steps 1 to 5 need no technical skill and don't need us — start straight away, whatever the time of day.
- Disconnect the computer from the internet. Turn off the Wi-Fi or unplug the network cable from the back of the computer. This ends the scammer's connection and stops them coming back. Leave it disconnected until it has been checked.
- If money or bank details were involved, call your bank now. Dial 159 — a safe, memorable number that puts you straight through to your own bank — and tell them exactly what happened. They can freeze cards, watch the account and often stop or recover payments if they hear quickly. For the full money-and-reporting side, see our guide: I've been scammed — what to do.
- Change your passwords — from a different device. Use your phone, a tablet or another computer, never the one the scammer touched. Change your email password first (whoever controls your email can reset everything else), then banking and shopping passwords, and turn on two-factor authentication wherever it's offered.
- Don't trust follow-up calls. The same gang often rings back as 'the refund department', 'the fraud team' or even 'the police', hoping to reconnect or squeeze out more. Hang up. Nobody legitimate asks to get back onto your computer out of the blue.
- Report it. Call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 — it takes a few minutes and genuinely helps the police track these gangs. If scam text messages were involved, forward them free to 7726.
- Get the computer professionally checked before you bank on it again. Scammers often leave remote-access software or worse behind, and you can't tell just by looking. Don't use the computer for banking, shopping or email until it's had a proper check — call us on 01202 775566 and we'll take it from there.
// HOW WE HELP
How we make the computer safe again
When you call, you get a patient local person — the same familiar faces every time, never a call centre. Here's what we actually do:
- Remove what they left behind. We find and remove any remote-access programs the scammer installed, along with any malware or fake 'support' tools.
- Check for hidden changes. Scammers sometimes create new user accounts, add browser extensions, weaken security settings or set up email forwarding rules so they can keep watching. We check all of it.
- Help secure your accounts. We help you set strong new passwords and switch on two-factor authentication, so a stolen password on its own is useless to them.
- Explain everything in plain English. You'll know exactly what we found, what it means and what we did — no jargon, no lectures, no rushing.
Most checks are done remotely in a single session while you watch every move on your own screen. And if you'd rather nobody connected remotely for a while, we completely understand — we do home visits across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Dorset, and we always call with an ETA before we set off. For ongoing peace of mind afterwards, our home IT support plan is £18.25 a month per computer, rolling monthly, cancel anytime — and a son or daughter can set it up and pay for a relative.
// SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
What legitimate remote help looks like
After an experience like this it's natural to distrust anyone who mentions 'remote access'. Good — that instinct will protect you. Here's how genuine remote support (ours included) differs from what just happened:
- We phone first — always. Real support starts with a phone call you expected, at a time you agreed. It never starts with a pop-up, a cold call or a voicemail about a virus or a refund.
- You start the connection, not us. We can only connect when you read us the short code shown on your own screen — nothing happens without you.
- You watch everything. The whole session is visible on your screen, and you can end it at any moment.
- Access ends when the job ends. When the session closes, we're gone — no lingering access, nothing left running in the background.
- We will never ask you to log into your bank, read out security codes, buy vouchers or move money 'to keep it safe'. Nobody genuine will.
Remember: Microsoft, BT and Amazon do not cold-call about viruses or refunds — ever. To sharpen your instincts for next time, try our free Spot the Scam quiz or our free online safety course.
// RELATED
Related help: the money and reporting side is covered step by step in I've been scammed — what to do. If you're worried something nasty was left behind, see our virus and malware removal service. Sharpen your defences with our free Spot the Scam quiz and free online safety course. Worried on someone else's behalf? See worried about a parent being scammed, or just get in touch.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
The scammer was only connected for a few minutes — am I still at risk?
Possibly, and it's worth taking seriously. A few minutes is enough to install remote-access software, copy files or change settings, and you can't tell just by looking. Disconnect the computer from the internet, change your passwords from a different device, and don't use it for banking or shopping until it's been properly checked. Call us on 01202 775566 and we'll check it — most checks are done in a single session while you watch.
They took money, or I gave them my card or bank details — what do I do first?
Contact your bank straight away, before anything else. Dial 159 — a safe, memorable number that puts you straight through to your own bank — and tell them exactly what happened. They can freeze cards and often stop or recover payments if they hear quickly. Then report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Banks deal with this every day; you won't be the first person they've helped that morning.
Someone from 'the refund department' keeps phoning back — is that genuine?
No. It's almost always the same gang, and calling back is part of the script — they may pose as a refund team, a fraud team or even the police. Hang up, don't let anyone reconnect to your computer, and don't move any money. If you're unsure whether a call is genuine, hang up and ring the organisation yourself on a number you've looked up independently.
Do I need to throw the computer away or buy a new one?
Almost never. Once the scammer's software is removed, the computer is scanned for malware and the hidden places they like to tamper with are checked, it's usually perfectly safe to carry on using. We'll tell you honestly if we ever find something that changes that — and explain exactly what we found in plain English.
Can I sort this out for my mum or dad if I don't live nearby?
Yes — many of our calls come from sons and daughters. You can arrange the check on their behalf, and if you'd like ongoing cover you can set up and pay for a home IT support plan for a relative: £18.25 a month per computer, rolling monthly, cancel anytime. We phone before we ever connect, your relative watches everything on screen, and they see the same familiar faces every time — never a call centre.
After what's just happened, how do I know your remote support is safe?
A very fair question. The difference is control: you call us (or we phone you at an agreed time — never out of the blue), and we can only connect via Splashtop SOS when you read us the code shown on your own screen. You watch the entire session, you can end it at any moment, and access ends completely when we're done. If you'd rather have no remote connections at all for now, we'll happily visit your home instead — and we call with an ETA before we set off.
Not sure what to do first? Just call — we'll talk you through it
A real local person answers, stays calm with you and checks the computer properly — remotely while you watch every move, or with a home visit across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Dorset (we always call with an ETA first). Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, usually same day. Family-run since 1995.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM