How to let a technician connect safely, and spot fake ones

Steps

1. You make the call. Use a number you found yourself: on the company's own website, on an invoice, or on this site. Never use a number from a pop-up, an unexpected email or a text message.
2. Get a session code from the person on the phone. With WeldonPC, the technician gives you a session code during your call. No call, no code, no session.
3. Download the support tool from the company's own website. WeldonPC's tool is on weldonpc.com/support. Don't install a remote-control program because a stranger told you its name.
4. Enter the code and stay at your computer. Watch what happens on the screen and ask what the technician is doing. It is your computer.
5. Type your own passwords. If a password is needed, you type it. Don't read it aloud and don't type it into a chat window.
6. Never pay with gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app because someone on the phone told you to. Scammers insist on those because the money is hard to get back.

Signs that the “technician” is a scammer

• They contacted you first. Microsoft says it does not make unsolicited phone calls to offer to fix your computer. Legitimate tech companies won't call, email or text to tell you there is a problem with it.
• A pop-up told you to call. Real security warnings never ask you to call a phone number.
• They want gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app. Scammers ask for these because the money is hard to get back.
• They are in a hurry. Pressure and threats are how a scam keeps you from thinking.
• They “find” lots of problems. Scammers show normal system messages and call them infections.
• They say they refunded you too much. Then they ask you to send the difference back. It is a known scam.

If you are unsure, stop

Hang up. You owe a stranger on the phone nothing. Then call a number you trust and ask.

How WeldonPC does it

For Tech Support Bundle members, a remote session starts when you call 888-7-WELDON. WeldonPC gives you a session code, you run its support tool and enter the code, and the technician connects and works on the problem. The tool runs on Windows 10 and 11 and needs an active phone call. Read how it works.