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Hi,my problem is windows defender security has disabled my computer,

Anonymous
2025-05-02T20:13:58+00:00

It says to call Microsoft windows 1-877-419-6536. I tried using control shift escape but its not working. The background shows my windows security page with red X's on all the headings, and I have no control of my mouse. What can I do?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy

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  1. quietman7 MVP Alumni 19,735 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-05-02T21:02:37+00:00

    You are dealing with a well known scam.

    Scammers will use pop-ups or web pages with screenshots of fake Microsoft Defender Antivirus or other fake anti-virus software displaying bogus warnings of malware infections to scare victims into calling a toll-free support number in order to remove the malware. These criminals may even trick an unsuspecting victim into purchasing a useless and high priced support plan.

    In some cases, pop-up alerts about "Warning! Virus Detected” or similarly worded warnings may be related to spam Push Notifications that pretends to be from fake or well known antivirus companies such as McAfee, Norton, or Avira and tries to trick you into thinking that an antivirus scan has detected viruses on your device.

    Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls, display pop-up alerts in your browser to call a support number or send unsolicited email messages to request personal or financial information or to fix your computer.
     
    Microsoft: Protect yourself from tech support scams

    Quote

    • Microsoft does not send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide technical support to fix your computer
    • If a pop-up or error message appears with a phone number, don’t call the number. Error and warning messages from Microsoft never include a phone number.

     Microsoft and others have been warning folks about Email Phishing Scams and Tech Support Scams for years

    Closing the web browser and then relaunching it usually eliminates the bogus warning message and is the best way to deal with these scams. If the browser freezes or hangs, you may have to close it with Windows Task Manager by selecting End Task. Afterwards, you should also clear your browser cache.

    For more information about how these scams work and resources to protect yourself, please read Beware of Phony Emails, Phone Calls, Tech Support Scams (Post #13)...there are more suggestions near the bottom for dealing with scams.

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  1. quietman7 MVP Alumni 19,735 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-05-15T15:15:23+00:00

    Yes...As I explain in the link I provided

    If the warning alerts continue to appear after closing and reopening the browser or a forced restart of the computer, they could be the result of an ad-supported browser extensionchange in browser settingsadware or a potentially unwanted program that was bundled with other software you downloaded and installed. In that case, you may need to check for and remove unfamiliar browser extensions and add-ons/plug-ins or reset your browser to its default settings.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-05-10T04:32:04+00:00

    Hacked again yesterday on FACEBOOK (10 or 12 times this year), usually happens when you get interested in a story that ends with "See the rest of the story in Comments", so you click comment & ZAP. Did the usual restart, run a scan, deleted history & it still kept cominng back. Finally went to Chrome, settings, Open with (whatever you set) & they had inserted a link there so it pupped up every time my pc was turned on. Deleted it & that took care of the problem...this time.

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