That virus warning with a phone number is a scam. Don't call it.
A warning that takes over the whole screen, with a siren, a countdown or a number to call, is a trick, not a diagnosis. The computer underneath is almost certainly fine, and the steps below will clear it.
It's $39 to book a visit at your house, and that $39 comes off the visit's price. A remote session runs 30 minutes for $39. Cards only, and the rate is settled with you before any work begins.
Signs the warning is fake
The same fake warning pops up on computers from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods, and it's made to look official. Four things give it away.
It gives you a number to call. Microsoft, Apple and your antivirus program never ask you to phone anyone. A number to call on the screen is enough by itself to know it's fake.
It counts down or sounds an alarm. Those are there to scare you into calling before you've had a moment to think.
It sits inside your browser. If the warning is in the web browser's window, it's a web page dressed up as a system message.
It wants a remote control program on your computer. Getting that installed is what the call is for, and from your computer they go after your bank.
Already called the number?
These callers do this all day, and they're good at it. What counts now is doing things in the right order.
If you let them onto the computer, unplug it from the internet first. Next, call your bank, using a number you look up on your own. Then, from another device such as your phone, change your email password, and after that your bank password. Email comes first because it's the key that resets everything else.
If a gift card is how you paid, keep the card and its receipt, and report it. Money paid by gift card can sometimes be recovered when it's reported within hours.
After that, have the computer checked, since whatever they put on it is still there. Call us on this page's number and we'll get a Local Nerd to you.
Worth a try on your own
Give these about ten minutes. Now and then one of them clears it up completely, and you won't need a visit at all.
- Leave the popup alone. Don't click anywhere in it, the X included. On these pages, even the X tends to be part of the trap.
- Shut the browser down from outside it. On a Mac, hold Command and Option, press Escape, pick the browser, and click Force Quit. On Windows, press Ctrl, Alt and Delete at the same time, open Task Manager, select the browser and click End Task.
- If the browser offers to bring your tabs back when it reopens, decline. Accepting brings the scam page right back.
- If the siren keeps going, mute the computer or pull the speaker plug. The noise is just a web page playing audio.
- Still stuck? Keep the power button held down until it switches off, wait ten seconds, and turn it on again. A forced shutdown does no harm in this situation.
What a Local Nerd won't take on
Hardware repair, meaning anything that calls for new parts or a soldering iron. It's better you hear that before you book.
- TexNerd won't ever phone you first about something wrong with your computer, and won't ask out of the blue for remote access, a wire transfer or a gift card. Anyone claiming to be us who does is not us. Hang up and call the number on this page to check.
- A scam popup never means a part needs replacing.
What you pay
A visit at your house takes $39 to book, and that $39 is subtracted from what the visit costs. The hourly rate depends on how far your address sits, in a straight line, from downtown of the city it falls under: $110 an hour inside 25 miles, $130 an hour from 25 to 50 miles, and $145 an hour from 50 to 75 miles. Nothing is added on top for travel.
A remote session begins with us calling you at the time you chose, and it is $39 for 30 minutes. For help a few times a year, there is Nerd on Call: $14.99 a month, with two remote sessions and one in-person visit included every year.
Payment is by card. Local Nerds can't take cash or checks, so nobody will ask you for either at the door. The FAQ has the rest of the detail.
Want to talk it over first? A Local Nerd will call you at no charge, and you aren't signing up for anything.
Where Local Nerds come to you
A visit can reach as far as 75 miles from downtown of each Texas city with a page below, and every one of those pages lists the towns it reaches. To see what your own address gets, put it in the ZIP checker. Remote sessions don't depend on where you live.
- Amarillo
- Austin
- Beaumont
- College Station
- Conroe
- Corpus Christi
- Dallas
- Denton
- El Paso
- Fort Worth
- Frisco
- Houston
- Katy
- Killeen
- Laredo
- Longview
- Lubbock
- McAllen
- Midland
- San Antonio
- Tyler
- Waco
- Wichita Falls
Questions we hear a lot
Is the 'your computer is infected' popup real?
Not when it shows a number to call, runs a countdown or plays a siren. Microsoft, Apple and your antivirus never ask you to call anyone in a real warning. It's a web page dressed up as a system alert, and closing the browser usually gets rid of it.
I already called them. Now what?
Disconnect the computer from the internet. Next, phone your bank using a number you find yourself. From another device, change your email password first and your bank password next. If you paid by gift card, hold onto the card and its receipt. Then get the computer cleaned up, because whatever they put on it is still there.
Can they reach my bank account now?
If they had remote access, act as if they watched everything on the screen and saw everything you typed. That's the reason the bank call and the new passwords happen before the cleanup.
How do I know if I actually have a virus?
Most of what gets called a virus is one of two things: a scam web page, which goes away when the browser is closed, or unwanted software that came bundled with something else. Real viruses are less common than the popups make out. A Local Nerd can usually tell which of the three it is within the first few minutes.
Should I pay for antivirus?
Windows and macOS, kept current, come with protection that's good and already on. The paid products with the loudest ads are often the ones that slow a computer down and are the hardest to cancel. Ask your Local Nerd before buying anything.
Can the cleanup be done without a house call?
Most of the time, yes; a remote session handles most cleanups. A Local Nerd comes to the house if several devices are involved, if money may have changed hands and you want someone beside you, or if that's simply what you'd prefer.