Americans reported $20.9 billion in internet crime losses to the FBI in 2025, up 26% from the year before. Tech and customer support fraud, the category that covers most remote access scams, accounted for $2.1 billion of that total, the third-largest category the FBI tracks. (FBI 2025 Internet Crime Report)
These scams usually begin with something ordinary: a phone call, a pop-up warning, a text message. The goal is to get you to hand over control of your computer or phone. Once a stranger has it, your email, your bank, and your investment accounts are within reach.
Your savings are only as secure as the devices and logins you use to reach them, which is why we treat scam protection as part of financial planning.
What Is a Remote Access Scam?
A remote access scam starts when someone contacts you and claims to be from a source you trust: your bank, a government agency, a technology company such as Microsoft or Apple, or even your financial advisor. They say something is wrong with your account or device and offer to fix it. The fix requires you to install a program, or enter a code, that lets them see and control your screen.
The software is often legitimate. Companies and IT departments use remote support programs every day, and scammers use the same tools, so your security software may not flag them. Whether the program is a problem depends on who asked you to install it and what that person does once connected.
With control of your device, a scammer can watch you type passwords, open your online banking, move money between accounts, install software that keeps their access after the call ends, and collect the personal details needed for identity theft.
Who Gets Targeted
Adults 60 and older filed 201,266 complaints with the FBI in 2025 and reported $7.7 billion in losses, up 59% from 2024. The average loss was $38,500. Within that age group, tech and customer support fraud alone cost $1.04 billion.
Younger adults lose money to these scams too. People in their 40s reported $261 million in tech and customer support losses, and people in their 50s reported $283 million. In Minnesota, residents filed 13,595 complaints of all types and reported $249 million in losses. Minnesotans 60 and older accounted for 2,550 of those complaints and $111 million of the losses. These figures count only what victims reported.
How Scammers Make It Feel Real
The call or message is built to sound official and urgent. It may name a real bank or a well-known technology company, mention a believable dollar amount, and describe a problem that sounds serious: a virus, a fraudulent charge, a locked account. Caller ID can be faked, and the FTC says an unexpected tech support call is a scam even when the number looks local or legitimate.
Pop-up warnings work the same way. A page fills your screen with an alarm and a phone number, and the person who answers is part of the scheme. The FBI also reports growing use of artificial intelligence to make scam messages and voices more convincing.
Two Common Versions
The fake tech support alert. A pop-up, call, or email says your computer has a virus or has been hacked, and a "technician" offers to fix it. The fix is a program that lets them control your screen. The FTC notes that remote access exposes everything stored on the device and on any network connected to it. Some scammers then charge you for services you do not need. Others use the access to reach your accounts.
The fake bank or fraud department. A caller or text says there is suspicious activity on your account and asks you to install software or share a code so they can "secure" it. The FBI received about 4,700 complaints in 2025 involving account takeover through impersonation of financial institution support, with $359.7 million in reported losses.
When money changes hands in tech and customer support scams, cryptocurrency was the most common payment method in FBI complaints, followed by wire transfers.
Warning Signs
Any one of these is reason enough to end the conversation.
- You did not start the contact. A caller, email, text, or pop-up reached you first.
- The message is urgent. Your account will be frozen, your computer is spreading a virus, or you will be arrested unless you act now.
- You are asked to install a program, open a link to download one, or read or type a code from your screen.
- You are asked to move money to a "safe" account, buy gift cards, wire funds, buy cryptocurrency, or hand cash or gold to a courier. The FBI reports about 725 complaints and $311.8 million in losses tied to couriers collecting cash and precious metals from tech support and government impersonation victims.
- The person tells you to stay on the phone while you act, or to keep the call from your bank or family.
Stop. Drop. Remove.
Stop
Be wary of any contact you did not ask for, even when it feels urgent. Pause before you download anything or let anyone onto your device. Pressure to act immediately, a request for an access code, and instructions to install a specific program all point to a scam. The FBI says legitimate companies do not call out of the blue offering tech support.
Drop
Scammers cannot get in unless you let them. When something feels off, hang up, delete the email or text, or close the website. If a pop-up will not close, restart the device.
Then confirm the claim yourself. Call the company using a number you already know to be real, such as the one on your card, your statement, or the company's official website. Do not call back the number that reached you, and do not call a number shown in a pop-up. The FTC suggests using the number on the software company's website, your receipt, or the product packaging.
Remove
If you think you may have been targeted, uninstall any remote access software and run a full scan with up-to-date security software. If you would rather not do this yourself, have a trusted professional check and clean the device. Removing suspicious software quickly ends the scammer's access. If you gave out a password, change it on every account that uses it.
If a Scammer Already Had Access
Take these steps in order, and do them the same day if you can.
- Disconnect the device from the internet. Turn off Wi-Fi or unplug the network cable so any live session ends.
- Remove the software and scan. Uninstall the remote access program, then run a full scan with current security software.
- Change passwords from a different device. Start with your email, since it can reset your other accounts, then your bank, brokerage, and card logins. Use a phone or computer you know was not involved.
- Call your financial institutions. Use the numbers on your cards and statements. Tell them what happened, ask them to review recent activity, and ask them to recall any transfer you did not intend. The FBI says time is of the essence, and that policies vary by institution.
- Consider a credit freeze. If the scammer may have seen your Social Security number or other personal details, you can freeze your credit with each of the three credit bureaus at no cost. The FTC's identity theft site, IdentityTheft.gov, walks through the steps.
- Report it. File a complaint at ic3.gov, with full transaction details, whatever the amount. Also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your local police. If you are a client, call our office as well so we can help you contact your custodian, the firm that holds your investment accounts.
Fast reporting changes outcomes. In 2025 the FBI's Recovery Asset Team worked 3,900 cases and froze $679 million, a 58% success rate by its own measure. In the 642 cases involving victims 60 and older, $32.9 million of $65.4 million in reported losses was frozen. The FBI notes that this process works best when complaints are filed as quickly as possible.
Be careful with anyone who contacts you afterward offering to recover your money. The FBI counted 10,516 recovery scam complaints in 2025, including fictitious law firms and impersonators of the FBI's own reporting center. Type the website address yourself rather than following a link.
Set Up Your Accounts So One Bad Call Does Less Damage
You cannot control who calls you. You can control how much a successful call is able to reach.
- Turn on a second login step. Most banks and custodians offer a code sent to your phone or an authenticator app. Never read that code to anyone who contacts you. Banks and brokerages send it for you to enter yourself.
- Set account alerts. Ask for notices on withdrawals, new payees, and changes to your address, phone number, or email.
- Name a trusted contact. Many custodians let you name a person they can call if they suspect something is wrong with your account. Ask yours.
- Add a verbal password where offered. Some institutions will require a spoken password before discussing or moving your money by phone.
- Confirm money movement by phone. Any request to wire funds or change account details should be verified by calling a number you already have, not one supplied in the request.
- Keep devices current. Install system and security updates, and use a password manager so each account has its own password.
Talking With Family
Scammers rely on the target feeling embarrassed, rushed, and alone. A short conversation ahead of time helps. Agree with parents, adult children, or a spouse that anyone who receives an unexpected call about money or a device will hang up and call the other person before doing anything. Make clear that nobody will be blamed, since people who fear blame wait longer to report.
Families should also know who can step in if someone becomes unable to manage their finances. Our Legacy Planning Checklist: 7 Documents You Can't Ignore covers the legal documents that name those people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Would MJT & Associates ever ask to take control of my computer?
No. We will never ask you to install software, share a one-time passcode, or give anyone remote control of your device. If someone claiming to be us makes a request like this, hang up and call our office directly at (320) 269-7889.
Is all remote access software dangerous?
No. Legitimate support teams use it, and it is reasonable to allow it when you contacted a company yourself through its official support channel and know who you are dealing with. The risk comes when someone you did not contact asks you to install it.
Can antivirus software stop a scammer who already has access?
Not reliably. Remote access tools are often legitimate programs, so a scan may not flag them, and a person watching your screen can act faster than a scan can run. Security software is useful afterward, to find anything left behind. Preventing the session from starting protects you best.
I let someone in, but I do not see any missing money. Am I fine?
Treat it as a compromise anyway. Access can be used later, and software left on the device can keep working after the call ends. Follow the steps above, change your passwords, and watch your statements closely over the following weeks.
Where do I report a scam?
File with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and tell your local police and your financial institutions. Report even if the amount seems small, because the FBI uses these complaints to connect cases and, in some cases, freeze funds.
Sources
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report
- Federal Trade Commission, Tech Support Scams
Conclusion
If you are unsure whether a call, email, or text is real, call us before you click or install anything. A two-minute conversation costs nothing, and we would much rather hear from you before a mistake than after one.
Questions, or concerned that your accounts or devices may have been compromised? Contact us right away at (320) 269-7889 or info@mjtassociates.com. We are glad to help you review your security and talk through anything that seems suspicious.
