A loud pop-up appears on your computer claiming Microsoft, Apple, Norton, or Geek Squad detected a virus. A “support number” tells you to call right now. The “technician” who answers asks for remote access to your computer and your bank account. Tech support scams cost adults 60+ over $1 billion in 2025. A Maryland senior recently lost $20,000 to one.
How This Scam Works
You are using your computer normally — reading the news, checking email, looking at photos. Suddenly a full-screen pop-up appears with a loud beeping sound. It claims Microsoft, Apple, Norton, McAfee, or Geek Squad has detected a virus, hackers, or unauthorized access on your device. The pop-up tells you not to turn off your computer or you will lose all your files. It gives you a phone number to call for “Microsoft Security” or “Apple Support.”
The pop-up cannot harm you. It is just a webpage. The audio is fake. The phone number is the scam. When you call it, a “technician” answers, sometimes with a fake company name. They ask to remotely access your computer “to diagnose the problem.” Once they have remote access, they can: install actual malware, transfer money out of your bank account while you watch, lock your files, or charge you hundreds of dollars for fake “repairs.”
In July 2025, a Florida man was federally charged for stealing $20,000 from a single Maryland older adult through this exact scam. The FBI’s IC3 2025 report found that adults 60+ lost over $1 billion to tech support scams in 2025. Microsoft, Apple, Norton, and Geek Squad never put phone numbers in pop-up warnings. Ever.
What They Actually Say
If a pop-up has a phone number, audio that will not stop, threatening language, or asks you not to turn off your computer — every single one of those is the scam announcing itself.
A Real Maryland Story
Documented by Southern Maryland Chronicle · U.S. Attorney’s Office
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. The scammer convinced the Maryland victim that her computer was compromised, gained remote access, and convinced her to make multiple wire transfers totaling $20,000. The U.S. Attorney’s Office Elder Justice Initiative continues to prosecute these cases. The FBI documented over $1 billion in similar losses for adults 60+ in 2025 alone.
What To Do · What To Never Do
After You Hang Up
This guide covers one of 222 documented scams targeting Maryland’s older adults. Every variant we track lives in the encyclopedia, searchable by name, situation, or what they said to you.
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