"Is this a scam?" — call us before you click
The scary pop-up that locks your screen and plays a siren. The caller who says he's from Microsoft and needs to "remote in." The text from your "bank" with a link. The email saying your Norton subscription renewed for $399. Scammers aim at older adults deliberately, and they are very good at sounding official and urgent.
Pronto gives you a number to call in that moment — before you click the link, call the number back, buy the gift cards, or let anyone into your computer. Describe what you're looking at, and we'll help you judge it calmly. If it's a scam (it usually is), we'll walk you through closing it safely and, if anything was already clicked or shared, what to do next, step by step, without judgment.
Worth saying plainly, because trust has to be earned in both directions: Pronto's voice is an AI and tells you so. We never ask for passwords, codes, card numbers, or remote access to your computer. Anyone who does ask for those things — whoever they claim to be — is showing you exactly what they are.
The help line is (786) 305-6399— $0.50 a minute from prepaid credit, no subscription. The voice on the line is an AI assistant (it will tell you so), it never asks for passwords or card numbers, and if we can’t fix your problem, the call’s on us.
How a call goes
- Don't click, don't call back, don't pay — just call us and read us what's on the screen, or describe the call or text you got.
- We tell you what it most likely is. The classics — fake virus warnings, fake refunds, fake grandchildren in trouble — have tells we recognize in seconds.
- We close it out safely together: shutting the scary pop-up without touching its buttons, blocking the number, deleting the text.
- If something already happened — you clicked, paid, or let someone in — no lectures. We walk the damage-control steps in order: passwords to change, cards to call, and how to report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
A pop-up says my computer is infected and to call a number. Is it real?
Almost certainly not. Real virus warnings never tell you to call a phone number — that's the scam's signature move. Don't call it. The pop-up looks terrifying on purpose and is usually just a browser page we can close together in a few minutes.
Someone called saying they're from Microsoft / my bank / Medicare. What do I do?
Hang up — real companies don't cold-call asking for remote access, codes, or payment. Then, if you're worried the problem might be real, look up the organization's official number yourself (from your card or statement, not from the caller) — or call us and we'll help you check.
I already gave a caller my card number (or let them into my computer). Am I in trouble?
It's fixable, and acting quickly matters more than feeling embarrassed — these scams work on smart people every day. Call us and we'll go step by step: which card to call, which passwords to change, how to make sure the remote-access program is really gone, and how to report it.
Can I just call you whenever something feels off?
Please do — that's the service working as intended. A "is this real?" call usually takes under five minutes, costs a couple of dollars, and beats every alternative. If it turns out we can't help with what it was, the call's on us.
More help topics: Printer help, over the phone, at your pace · Wi-Fi down? Let's get you back online · Locked out of your email? We'll walk you back in · Your smartphone, explained one step at a time · Get your TV back to just working
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