How to spot a remote access scam, and how the Allow prompt protects you

• They contacted you first. A phone call, a text, an email or a pop-up you didn't ask for, saying your computer has a virus, your internet will be cut off, your bank account is at risk, or you're owed a refund. Genuine companies don't call out of the blue to fix your computer.
• It's urgent. "Do it now, or you'll lose your money." Pressure is the point: it stops you checking.
• They want you to install a remote access app and read them a code, or type a code they give you.
• They want you to sign in to your bank while they're connected, or to "check" a payment.
• They ask for payment in an odd way: gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a transfer to an account that isn't the company's.
• The screen goes black, or they tell you not to look while they "run a scan".

Any one of these is enough to hang up. If you're unsure, end the call and ring the company back on a number you found yourself, such as the one on your bill or card. A refund you're "owed" is a common opener. If you ever want money back for RemoteAccessApp itself, you ask us: getting a refund for Pro works by email from your account's address, and nobody needs to connect to your PC.

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut them off

   Quit the remote access app, or simply switch off the internet (unplug the router or turn off Wi-Fi). With RemoteAccessApp, right-click its icon next to the clock and quit.

2. 2

   Step 2: Remove their access

   If they had you type a setup code, your PC was added to their account. In RemoteAccessApp's tray menu, choose Remove this PC from your account, or uninstall it. Check the PC's Trusted consoles and browsers list too, and remove anything you don't recognize.

3. 3

   Step 3: Call your bank

   Use the number on your card, especially if you signed in to online banking or shared card details.

4. 4

   Step 4: Change your passwords from another device

   Start with email and banking, and turn on two-step verification where you can. For your RemoteAccessApp account, the checklist in how to keep your remote access safe in 2026 covers the rest.

5. 5

   Step 5: Report it

   In Australia, report it to Scamwatch; elsewhere, to your country's fraud or scam reporting service. Then have the PC checked by someone you trust.

We built RemoteAccessApp for helping people you know, and reaching your own PCs. These parts are there so it's hard to turn against the person sitting at the screen:

Allow remote access?

RemoteAccessApp

Console

sam@LAPTOP-SAM

Console ID

3F2A 91C0 … 7B1D

They'll be able to see your screen and control this PC. Only allow it if you're expecting it.

Denied automatically in 25s if you don't answer.

Don't allowAllow

• The Allow prompt. Every connection shows Allow remote access? with who is connecting, whether from the app or a browser, and the line "Only allow it if you're expecting it." Nothing is shown until you click Allow, and if nobody answers within 45 seconds, the answer is no.
• They can't click it for you. The prompt is hidden from the picture the other person sees, and their mouse and keyboard are paused while it's open.
• A banner the whole time. While anyone is connected, a Remote session active banner stays on your screen, showing what they're using.
• You can stop them at any moment. Turn off Allow remote control in the tray menu and they can only watch, or quit the app to end the session.
• Unattended access can't be switched on from afar. It's a switch on the PC. If someone is connected when it's turned on, the PC asks the person there to confirm in a protected prompt the remote session can't click.
• An optional connection password for the PC, set at the PC, which anyone connecting must type first. Our servers never see it.

No software can stop someone from being talked into clicking Allow, which is why the prompt says what it says. The rule is simple: only allow someone you know and were expecting. For every screen in order, from the first prompt to the end of a session, see what the person at the PC sees when you connect.

Sit down with them once, set up RemoteAccessApp with your account, and show them the Allow prompt and the banner. Then agree a rule: you will always tell them before you connect, so an unexpected prompt means "Don't allow." The guide to helping a family member walks through the setup, and remote desktop privacy explains who can see what. When you install it, get it from remoteaccessapp.com together: our Windows app is now code-signed, so Windows shows who made it.

Once it's set up, there's a lot you can do from home, and our list of 7 ways to help your family with their computer goes through them. If a parent's eyesight is changing, see helping a parent with low vision use their PC for Windows settings you can set up together.