Here's what to do if you get a pop-up on your computer with an urgent security message
has a warning about a scam that gets right in your face.
It uses a scammer's two favorite weapons: the phone and the computer.
It starts with a pop-up message right in the middle of your computer screen telling you that "access to this PC has been blocked for security reasons."
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You are urged to call Windows support at the provided phone number.
Another message states, "Your computer has alerted us that is has been infected with a Trojan Spyware. You must contact us immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process over the phone."
In many cases, your computer will be frozen. You'll be unable to move your cursor or make the message go away.
Here's what you should do: the exact opposite of what the message tells you. Do not call any phone numbers that appear on your screen.
The easiest way to remove the message and get control of your computer back is to restart your computer. Most of the time, it makes this message go away. If it doesn't go away, you need to contact a computer repair shop to remove it.
If you do call the number on the screen, you're walking right into the scammer's trap. They will send you to a series of websites and claim they are fixing your machine, and it ends up costing you money.
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