The 7 Most Common Tech Support Scam Red Flags in 2026

Tech support scams continue to evolve, blending convincing browser popups with aggressive social engineering. Here are the top red flags every user must recognize:

1. Full-Screen Browser Lock Alerts

A flashing audio alert saying your computer has been locked due to illegal activity is merely a full-screen webpage using the browser fullscreen API. Closing the browser tab via Task Manager resolves it completely.

2. Demands to Open Event Viewer

Scammers frequently ask victims to press Windows+R and open eventvwr, claiming normal system warnings and informational logs are evidence of malicious hackers.