How to Recognise a Tech Support Scam Call in 30 Seconds

Every week at Repair Point we help someone who answered a call from 'Windows Support' or 'the Apple Security Team'. The callers are convincing, patient and well-rehearsed — but every single one of them fails the same 30-second test. Here's how to run it.

The 30-second test: five instant red flags

1. They called you

This one is absolute. Microsoft, Apple, Google and your internet provider do not cold-call customers about viruses. Neither do legitimate repair shops — including us. If the call was their idea, it ends here: hang up.

2. There's sudden urgency

'Your computer will be disabled within 24 hours.' 'Hackers are on your network right now.' Real support never works on panic. Urgency exists to stop you thinking — treat it as proof of a scam, not a problem.

3. They ask for remote access

AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Assist, Chrome Remote Desktop — if a stranger on the phone asks you to install one, that is the attack itself. Only ever grant remote access to a technician you contacted first, at a number you verified.

4. They ask for gift cards or wire transfers

No genuine company anywhere accepts payment in Apple, Google Play or Steam gift cards. The moment gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer appear, the conversation is over.

5. They show you 'proof' on your own screen

Scammers love opening Event Viewer and pointing at ordinary red error icons — 'see, your PC is infected.' Every Windows PC shows thousands of these harmless entries. It is theatre, not diagnostics.

If you already let them in

Don't panic, and don't feel embarrassed — these operations are professional criminals. Act in this order:

1. Turn the computer off (hold the power button if needed) and disconnect it from Wi-Fi.
2. If you paid by card or shared banking details, call your bank's fraud line immediately.
3. Change your important passwords — email first, then banking — from a different, clean device.
4. Note the caller's number and company name, and report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
5. Have the machine professionally checked for backdoors before using it again for banking or work.

A proper post-scam check looks for the remote-access tools they installed, new hidden user accounts, and changes to your browser and email forwarding rules — the quiet places scammers leave doors open.