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The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why the fear is the hook
The fake tech-support call works by making the person afraid of their own machine — that a virus is spreading, an account is compromised, or the computer will be locked. Real tech support never calls first, and it never asks for payment, passwords, or remote access out of the blue.
The check is a plain-language script: real companies do not call you about a problem they found; never give control of your computer to an unexpected caller; and the real help is the number on your device's box or the store you trust.
The protocol
- Recognize the hook: an unexpected call about a problem the caller claims to have found.
- Say the hang-up script — you do not owe the caller an explanation.
- Never install software, visit a site, or share a code or payment with an unexpected caller.
- For real help, use the number on the device's box or a store or person you trust.
What the tool does
Walk a tech-support call through a plain-language check and get the hang-up script and the real-help route. It runs in this browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Limit first: This is a call-safety aid, not technical support and not a fraud investigation service. It can miss a pattern and it can flag an ordinary call. Real companies do not call first.
Open the companion tool →One human next step
If you already let the caller in or paid, disconnect the device from the internet, contact your bank, and get real help from a trusted person or store.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not applicable — the artifact is a plain-language script the person says themselves; a model layer would add nothing to a hang-up phrase. §6.10: not a frontier-pace topic.
§0.5 protection result: category is elder-protection; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.