Computer hacked

Question

I believe my computer has been hacked. I was on my Facebook account and must have clicked on something because my computer was compromised after that. It displayed this number to recover 1-888-330-6061 and Indian speaking lady told me to turn off my computer and restart in half hour ?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

What you’re seeing is a scam pop-up, not a real Microsoft message. Microsoft does not lock your computer and ask you to call a phone number.

Do not call the number shown on the screen.

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If you haven't tried anything yet please start by:

Closing browser affected by scam pop-up:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
• Look for your browser (Edge, Chrome, etc.).
• Click it, then choose End Task.

If that doesn’t work:

• Press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds to force shut down.
• Turn the PC back on after 30 seconds.

After restarting:

• Open your browser.
• If it asks to restore previous tabs, choose No.
• Clear your browser history and cache.

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Run a full antivirus scan on your computer using Windows Security and any third-party antivirus software you have.

Run a full deep scan using a trusted security tool:

• Download and run Microsoft Safety Scanner here: https://learn.microsoft.com/defender-endpoint/safety-scanner-download
• After running the scan, please restart your PC and monitor whether the issue continues.

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I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

This behavior matches a tech support scam, not legitimate Microsoft or Facebook support.

Key points about what happened:

• Microsoft error or warning messages never include a phone number to call.
• Microsoft and other legitimate tech companies do not cold call or have random “support” numbers appear in the browser to fix a device.
• Scammers commonly use fake security pop-ups in the browser while on sites like Facebook, then display a phone number and claim the computer is infected.
• They often ask to turn off or restart the computer, or try to get remote access, personal information, or payment.

What to do now:

1. Close the scam page
   • If the browser is still open or “locked,” close it using:
     • Alt + F4 to close the window, or
     • Ctrl + Alt + Del → Task Manager → end all browser processes.
   • If that fails, restart the computer.
2. If any software or remote tools were installed at their request
   • Uninstall any applications that the scammer asked to install. See “Repair or remove programs in Windows” in the referenced article.
3. If remote access was given
   • Consider resetting the device using Windows recovery options to ensure it is clean.
4. Check for malware
   • Run a full scan with Windows Security (Microsoft Defender) to remove any malware.
5. Secure accounts and payments
   • Change passwords, especially for Microsoft, email, banking, and Facebook accounts.
   • If any payment or card details were provided, contact the card provider to contest charges and request a new card.
6. Future prevention
   • Treat any pop-up or message that includes a phone number as a scam.
   • If a similar message appears again, close the browser or restart the device instead of calling the number.
   • Report the scam at https://microsoft.com/reportascam.

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References:

• Protect yourself from online scams and attacks
• Protect yourself from tech support scams
• Tech support scams
• Microsoft Defender Scam or Do I have a virus on my computer - Microsoft Q&A
• possible virus, computer locked - Microsoft Q&A
• Windows defender scam - Microsoft Q&A
• Who do I call for support? - Microsoft Q&A
• why can't you block AnyTech365.com....they are a scam company posing as Microsoft supported, stealing information? - Microsoft Q&A