A North Carolina woman says she is ‘very depressed' after losing $22,500 to a fake Microsoft tech-support scam

Although her credit union reimbursed her about $12,000, she’s still out more than $10,000 and has had to rebuild the money she’d saved for year-end bills.

“I stayed very depressed for a while, but I’ve decided, if I can’t get it, I’m not going to let it destroy me,” Grindstaff told WSOC-TV.

These tech-support scams usually begin with an unexpected pop-up, call or text saying your computer is broken. Then, the scammers try to trick you into giving them remote access to your screen or handing over your private information.

The pop-up was only the beginning

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned about this type of scam where criminals impersonate companies such as Microsoft and claim there is a virus or another problem with a person’s computer.

The scammers may tell people to call a phone number, download software or give them remote access so they can supposedly fix the problem. That access can expose passwords, financial information and other sensitive data stored on a computer, according to the FTC.

In Grindstaff’s case, she said the scammers used what they found to get into her bank accounts and take the money she’d saved.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 47,794 complaints involving tech and customer support scams in 2025, with reported losses of about $2.13 billion, according to its latest annual report.

Older Americans have also reported significant losses from these scams. The FTC says consumers age 60 and older reported $159 million in losses to tech-support scams in 2024.

How to avoid a tech-support scam

The FTC says consumers shouldn’t call a phone number included in an unexpected pop-up or message claiming there is a problem with their computer.

Instead, close the warning and contact the company directly using a phone number or website you know is legitimate.