The numbers are hard to look at. In 2025, more than 201,000 people aged 60 and over reported internet crime to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre, with losses topping US$7.7 billion, up roughly 60 per cent from the US$4.9 billion reported in 2024. Tech and customer-support scams were the second-costliest category, at just over US$1 billion. The pattern is the same in Canada, where the Anti-Fraud Centre logged its worst year on record.
Why does this one work so well? Because it doesn’t start by asking for money. It starts by offering help.
How the scam unfolds, step by step
The hook. A pop-up freezes your screen, “Warning! Your computer is infected, call Microsoft now”, often with an alarm sound. Or the phone simply rings: “This is Apple support. We’ve detected suspicious activity on your account.” Both the pop-up and the call are fake. Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and your internet provider do not monitor your computer, and they never cold-call about viruses.
The way in. The “technician” asks you to install a remote-access program, often legitimate software like AnyDesk or TeamViewer, “so I can fix it for you.” The moment it’s installed, a stranger controls your computer: your files, your saved passwords, your online banking.
The money. Now comes the invention. A “refund” they accidentally overpaid that you must return. A “security fee.” Or the cruellest turn: while connected to your screen, they “discover” your bank account has been hacked too, and pass you to a fake “fraud investigator” who instructs you to move your savings to a “safe account”, an escalation the FBI calls the Phantom Hacker scam. Some victims are even told to withdraw cash and hand it to a courier or ship it through a parcel company.
Three rules that stop it cold
| Rule | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Treat every unexpected “virus” call or pop-up as fake | Real companies don’t watch your computer and don’t cold-call about it. There are no exceptions. |
| Never install software or grant remote access at a caller’s request | Remote access is the entire scam. Without it, they have nothing. |
| Never move money to “protect” it | No bank, police force or government will ever ask you to transfer savings to a “safe account.” That request is itself proof of fraud. |
If the pop-up has frozen your screen
Don’t call the number, and don’t panic, the warning is theatre, not a real infection. Hold down your computer’s power button until it shuts off, wait ten seconds, and turn it back on. Don’t reopen the same web page. That’s usually all it takes.
If someone already had access
Disconnect the computer from the internet, then from another device or a trusted friend’s phone, change your email and banking passwords. Call your bank on the number on the back of your card and tell them what happened, speed matters more than embarrassment. Have the remote-access program removed before you use the computer for banking again. Then report it: in Canada, the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501. Our calm, numbered plan is here: After a scam: what to do.
Sources: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report & Elder Fraud Report (201,000+ victims 60+, US$7.7B reported losses, tech-support scams US$1.04B); FBI “Phantom Hacker” public service announcement; AARP fraud reporting, June 2026; Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre 2025 statistics.