What to Do If a Scammer Got Remote Access to Your Computer

If you let a “tech support” caller take over your computer — usually through TeamViewer, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, or QuickAssist — your computer, online accounts, and saved passwords are now exposed. The very first step is to disconnect. This emergency guide walks seniors and adult children through the exact actions in the right order, from immediate disconnect through full recovery.

Do this right now — before you read further. Unplug the network cable, OR turn off your Wi-Fi, OR shut the computer down completely by holding the power button. Disconnecting the machine breaks the scammer’s access instantly.

Step 1 — Disconnect the computer immediately

  • Wired internet: unplug the Ethernet cable from the back of the computer.
  • Wi-Fi: turn off Wi-Fi from the computer’s network settings, OR unplug your router.
  • Easiest: hold the power button on the computer for 10 seconds until it turns off.
  • Do NOT restart and “see what happens” first. The scammer may still be on the line.

Step 2 — Call your bank and credit-card fraud lines

If the scammer was on your computer, assume they saw any banking sites you visited and any saved passwords. Call the fraud number on the back of every credit/debit card and tell them: “My computer was accessed remotely by a scammer. Please flag my accounts and look for any transactions in the last 24 hours.”

Step 3 — Change passwords from a different device

Use a different device (your phone, a tablet, a family member’s computer) to change passwords for: email, online banking, brokerage, Medicare, Amazon, Social Security, and any account where money or personal information lives. Do NOT use the compromised computer for this — it may still have keylogging or screen-recording software installed.

Step 4 — Have the computer professionally cleaned

Even after disconnecting, the scammer likely installed remote-access software, keyloggers, or other malware. The safest path is a full factory reset / clean reinstall. Take the computer to a trusted local repair shop (not a chain called by phone — only one you walked into yourself or that a family member recommends). Expect to pay $75–$150. If cost is a concern, the safest free alternative is to keep the computer disconnected and unused, and have a family member or your local library help you check your accounts from a different device for the next several weeks. The most important thing is that the compromised computer not be used until cleaned.

  • Tell the technician: “Scammer had remote-access control. Please do a full clean reinstall.”
  • Have them check for: TeamViewer, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, QuickAssist, ScreenConnect — and remove all.
  • Have them scan for malware/keyloggers with at least two different tools.
  • Do NOT call back the “technician” who originally helped you — that was the scammer.

Step 5 — File reports

  • FBI IC3 at ic3.gov — required for any later recovery
  • FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
  • Your state Attorney General consumer-protection office
  • Your local police (non-emergency line) — they file a written record that may be needed for insurance

Why scammers use remote access

Once on your screen, a scammer can: open your banking website and watch you log in, transfer money out of your accounts in real time, install software that records everything you type going forward, view every saved password in your browser, lock you out of your own machine with a fake error screen, and pose as you in emails to your family asking for money. Remote access is the single most damaging form of scam access, period.

How to prevent this happening again

  • Microsoft, Apple, and Google never call you to fix your computer. If a window pops up saying they need to call you, it is a scam.
  • Never download TeamViewer, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, or QuickAssist because someone on the phone told you to.
  • If a pop-up locks your browser and says “call this number”, press Ctrl+W or Cmd+W to close it. If that fails, hold the power button to restart.
  • Set your computer to update automatically. Many tech-support scams exploit outdated browsers.

When to call for help

National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). Free, confidential, DOJ-staffed. Open Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Eastern Time. English, Spanish, and other languages available. They will help you identify what type of fraud occurred, document the incident, and connect you to the right reporting agencies.

Two rules that prevent most scams

Rule 1. If they called you, emailed you, or messaged you — hang up. Call back at a number you find yourself.

Rule 2. Never pay anyone in gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or by mail. Real bills are not paid these ways.