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July 29, 2026

A call from "Microsoft support"? Hang up — here’s why

The phone rings. A confident-sounding person, sometimes with a slight accent, introduces themselves as a technician from "Microsoft", "Windows", or your internet provider. They have bad news: your computer is supposedly sending errors, is infected, or has been "hacked". And of course, they offer to fix it all right now, with you on the line.

Remember just one thing and you’re protected: Microsoft, Apple and the others never call you out of the blue about your computer. Never. They don’t even have your number. A call like this is a scam, every single time, no exceptions.

What the caller is trying to get

• To have you install software so they can "take control" of your screen remotely. That’s the heart of the scam: once connected, they see everything and can act in your place.
• To have you look at perfectly normal computer messages, which they’ll present as "viruses" to scare you.
• To have you pay for a "repair" or a "protection subscription", by card or gift card.

What to do, quite simply

1. Don’t argue, don’t explain yourself. You have nothing to prove to a stranger who called you.
2. Hang up. That’s allowed, even if the person is polite and insistent. You owe them no explanation.
3. Don’t install anything and don’t touch your computer during the call, even if they guide you "just to check".
4. If you’re worried about one of your accounts, call the company yourself, using the number on your bills or the back of your card — never a number the caller gives you.

What if I already let them connect?

It happens, and it’s not foolish: these people are trained to earn your trust. If you let someone take control of your computer, shut it down to cut the connection. Then, from another device (a family member’s phone, for example), change the password for your email and your online banking.

If you paid or gave out a card number, call your financial institution right away to report the card. Then have the computer checked by someone you trust, who will remove the installed software.

You can also report the call to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. And above all, talk about it: the more we talk about these scams, the less they work.

One detail that helps you spot them here: in Montreal, these calls often claim to be from Videotron, Bell or even Hydro-Québec rather than Microsoft. The story changes, the rule doesn’t — hang up. If you’d rather learn to recognize them with someone beside you, instead of alone with the phone ringing, that’s exactly what we do during our in-home computer lessons for seniors in Montreal.