New cases against tech support scammers are being brought forward by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The federal government agency is issuing warnings to consumers about an increase in these scams.

These imposters try to:

• Convince people there are serious problems with their computers, and sometimes get remote access to their computers to run fake “diagnostic tests.” 
• Persuade people that ordinary things on their computers are real problems, and;
• Ask you to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary software or services to “fix” problems that don’t exist.

If you get a pop-up, call, spam email or any other urgent message about a virus on your computer, stop. Don’t download anything, don’t call the number on the pop-up and don’t give anyone control of your computer. Learn what next steps you can take if this happens to you and how to report it.

Find more information to help protect you online by visiting USA.gov.