What has changed is the delivery. Phone calls sound more official. Emails look more polished. Text messages arrive at exactly the wrong moment, when you’re busy, distracted, or tired. The lies are old. The costumes are new. Once you recognize the pattern, most scams collapse instantly. They all revolve around three core lies.
At Fix My Laptop, we see the aftermath all the time. Locked accounts. Drained bank balances. Infected computers. People coming in embarrassed, angry, or confused, saying the same thing: “I didn’t think I’d fall for something like this.” That belief is exactly what makes these scams work.
Most scams boil down to the same three lies, repeated endlessly through phone calls, texts, emails, and fake pop-ups. Once you recognize them, the patterns become obvious.
Lie #1: “Something is Happening to Your Money Right Now!”
The first lie is that something urgent is happening to your money. You’re told there’s suspicious activity, an unauthorized purchase, or a pending charge you didn’t make. The message is designed to create panic and compress time. You’re pushed to act immediately, before you can verify anything, because “waiting could make it worse.”
The problem is almost always fictional. The transaction never happened. The danger isn’t real. The only real risk starts when you follow the instructions in the message and contact the number or link provided. That path never leads to your bank or a legitimate company. It leads straight to the scammer who invented the crisis.
Real banks don’t call you to walk you through emergency fixes. If something looks wrong, they lock the account and wait for you to contact them through official channels. Anything that pressures you to move fast, stay on the line, or keep the situation secret should immediately raise alarms.
Lie #2: “You are Personally in Legal Trouble”
The second lie targets fear of authority and legal consequences. Someone claims to be from a government agency and tells you your identity is linked to a crime. The details are intentionally vague but serious enough to shock you. Money laundering. Fraud. Something that sounds complicated and dangerous. The goal is to shift your thinking from “Is this real?” to “How do I make this go away?” Once fear takes over, people start oversharing personal information or following instructions they would normally question.
Governments rarely resolve legal issues by phone calls, emails, or text messages. They do not ask for payment to “clear” your name. They do not demand secrecy. If someone claims you’re in legal trouble and wants immediate action outside formal channels, it’s not law enforcement. It’s a scam using fear as leverage.
Lie #3: “Your Computer Has a Serious Security Problem”
The third lie exploits confusion around technology. Fake security alerts claim your computer is infected or your accounts are compromised. They often look official and use familiar names like Norton or Microsoft. When people call the number shown, they’re told the situation is critical and that remote access is needed to fix it. This is where real damage often happens. Scammers can install malware, steal saved passwords, and access financial information long after the call ends.
Legitimate tech companies do not monitor your device through random pop-ups. They do not cold-call users about infections. And they do not require immediate remote access as a first step. Once someone takes control of your computer under false pretences, you’ve handed them the keys.
What Actually Works
Hang up. Pause. Verify independently. Never use contact details provided in an unexpected message. Look up official numbers yourself or log into accounts through known websites. Real businesses won’t be offended by caution. Scammers will get pushy, angry, or try to keep you from disconnecting. That reaction is the giveaway.
The uncomfortable truth is that we now have to be sceptical by default. Not paranoid, just deliberate. Don’t answer unknown numbers. Important callers leave voicemails. Review them without pressure. If something feels urgent, that’s exactly when you slow down.
If you ever feel unsure, stop. Don’t click. Don’t call back. Don’t move money. And if someone gets upset when you say you’ll verify things yourself, you already have your answer. Staying cautious isn’t rude. It’s smart. And it’s one of the simplest ways to protect your money, your data, and your sanity.
