Pop-up warnings, a hacked Facebook, locked out of email? Take a breath. It happens to careful people every day. I’m Josh, and I’ll help you get back in and lock things down.
Evenings & weekends: Sun–Tue & Thu–Sat, 8 AM–8 PM. Wednesday: appointment setting only.
First, it’s not your fault. Scammers are professionals, and they work hard to make things feel urgent. If money or a card was involved, contact your bank or payment provider immediately. If someone has remote access, disconnect that device from the internet now. You don’t need to wait for me before taking these steps. Then use a different, trusted device for account recovery.
Hang up. Don’t send more money, share sign-in codes, approve sign-in prompts, or give someone new remote access. Don’t call the number in a warning pop-up.
Turn off Wi-Fi and unplug its network cable. If you cannot disconnect it, shut it down. Keep it offline until it has been checked. Use a different, trusted device for the next steps.
Call your bank, card issuer, or payment provider using a number from your card or official app. Report the fraud and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed. Don’t wait for a tech appointment.
Change compromised passwords. Start with your email, because it can reset other accounts. Check recovery details and sign out unfamiliar sessions where the service allows it.
Add it to email, banking and social accounts. Don’t share codes or approve unexpected prompts. It adds protection, but you still need to watch for phishing.
Keep messages, receipts, phone numbers, times and amounts when it is safe to do so. Don’t reconnect an affected device just to collect evidence.
Remote-access software or malware may remain after the call ends. I can help check the device and walk through official account-recovery options with you.
Use the reporting links below. If personal identity information was exposed, use IdentityTheft.gov for next steps. Reporting does not replace contacting your payment provider.
Text or call 563-261-0200. Tell me what happened in your own words. No judgment, and no rushing.
Most scams follow the same few scripts. Once you know them, they get a lot easier to recognize.
A full-screen warning, sometimes with an alarm sound, says your computer is infected and gives a phone number to call. Microsoft, Apple and Google don’t put phone numbers in warnings like that. Close the browser, or hold the power button if it won’t close.
Someone calls saying they’re from Microsoft, Apple, Amazon or your internet company, and that your computer has a problem. Real companies don’t call you out of the blue about a virus. Hang up. If you’re unsure, call the company yourself at a number you look up.
“Unusual charge on your account.” “Your package can’t be delivered.” “Your account is locked.” Don’t tap the link. Open the company’s own app, or call the number on the back of your card, and check from there.
An unexpected caller who pressures you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app is a major warning sign. Legitimate businesses may accept some of these methods, so verify the request independently. Never use gift-card codes to settle a demand from an unexpected caller.
“Grandma, it’s me. I’m in trouble. Please don’t tell Mom.” Sometimes a “lawyer” or “officer” gets on the line. Voices can be faked now. Hang up and call your family member at the number you already have for them.
A new online friend who can never meet in person and soon has a money problem. A prize you have to pay to collect. An investment that “can’t lose.” Sending money to someone you’ve never met, or paying to win, is your cue to stop.
Not sure if someone got into your account? These are the usual clues.
Start with your email, from a phone or computer you trust. Change the password, then turn on 2-step verification. The checklist at the top walks through the order. If a sign-in code shows up that you didn’t ask for, don’t share it with anyone. An unexpected code can come from a sign-in attempt, a password-reset request, or someone entering the wrong details; it does not prove they have your password. Open the official app or site directly and review account activity.
A few settings make the next scam a lot harder to pull off. Start with your email, then your bank, then everything else.
Use a different password for every account, so one leak doesn’t open the rest. A password manager remembers them for you. One is built into iPhones, Android phones and the Chrome browser. A notebook kept safe at home is better than reusing the same password everywhere.
This adds a second check, like a code sent to your phone or a tap on an approval prompt, when someone signs in. A stolen password alone isn’t enough anymore. Turn it on for email first. Never read that code to anyone who calls or texts you.
Make sure each important account has a current recovery phone number and backup email. That’s how you get back in if you’re ever locked out. Check them once a year, and any time you change phone numbers.
Scammers often target older adults. A little planning together goes a long way, and it works best without a lecture.
Share the common scripts above, like the fake pop-up and the “grandchild in trouble” call, so they’re easy to spot. Make it a conversation, not a test.
Agree that before anyone sends money, buys gift cards or lets someone onto the computer, they call you (or me) first. A real request can wait five minutes.
A word only your family knows. If a caller claims to be a grandchild in trouble and can’t give it, hang up and call that grandchild directly.
Put the bank, family members and a trusted helper in their phone contacts, so they don’t have to search for numbers under pressure.
Most phones and carriers can silence unknown callers or flag likely spam. With their permission, help set up 2-step verification and recovery info too.
If they get fooled, thank them for telling you. People who feel embarrassed stop asking for help, and that’s exactly what scammers want.
Reporting helps warn others and creates a record. It doesn’t always get money back, so if money or a card was involved, call your bank first.
Call the number on the back of your card, not a number from a text, email or caller. Tell them what happened and ask what they can do.
The Federal Trade Commission collects reports on scams and fraud. ReportFraud.ftc.gov ↗
If someone used your name, Social Security number or opened accounts as you, this FTC site gives you a step-by-step plan. IdentityTheft.gov ↗
For scams that happened online, especially if money was lost. ic3.gov ↗
No. Real companies like Microsoft and Apple don’t put phone numbers in warning pop-ups. Don’t call, don’t let anyone connect to your computer, and don’t pay. Close the browser, or turn the computer off if it won’t close, and text me.
Don’t panic. Turn the computer off or disconnect it from the internet. If you shared banking details or paid anything, call your bank using the number on the back of your card. Then call me, and we’ll check the computer and change the passwords that matter, from a safe device.
I’ll work through every recovery option the company offers with you, step by step. I can’t promise every account can be recovered, because that decision is up to the company. We’ll work through the available recovery options together; the provider controls the outcome.
The same as any tech help: $50 an hour, and the first conversation is free. On-site visits have a one-hour minimum. I’ll never ask you for gift cards.
Turn on 2-step verification for your email and important accounts, use a different password for each one, and pause before you click. The lock-it-down tips and family tips on this page walk you through it.
Need help right now? Call or text Josh at 563-261-0200.
Evenings & weekends: Sun–Tue & Thu–Sat, 8 AM–8 PM. Wednesday: appointment setting only.
Need other tech help? See tech help in Muscatine or the areas I serve.
