alert that my computer is locked

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alert that my computer is locked

I clicked on a site and received an alert allegedly from apple that my "pc" has been locked and to call a number. I did not call the number given, but looked up "apple support" on my phone so I could report what I believe is a scam. The person answering sounded suspicious to me and kept asking for my email address. I hung up. he called me back. I hung up again and he called me back but I did not answer. How do I know he's legit? How do I report these things? My computer seems to be OK but I will run Norton as soon as I finish this message to you. Can you give me any advice? I could report the URL of the alert I received and the phone number they told me to call as well as the number I called.

Mac mini, 10.12

Posted on Mar 29, 2023 11:56 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 29, 2023 6:22 PM in response to loislane04

That is certainly a scam. It's a pop-up from whatever site you were visiting. Best to close the window/tab and never visit that site again. Your Mac will not alert you in that way.

There is no formal way to report a particular website that I am aware. But you can block pop-up from the website if it is one that you must visit for some reason. Please see: Allow or block pop-ups in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

Also, please see: Protect your Mac from malware - Apple Support

and: Effective Defenses Against Malware (John Galt)- Apple Community

and: How to install adware (John Galt)- Apple Community

Finally, it's generally not a great idea to install antivirus software on the Mac. The macOS already has XProtect and Gatekeeper software built in and other third party apps tend to get in the way and muck things up. Antivirus, clean-up, speed-up and optimizing apps often compromise the performance of the Mac. There are no true virus apps affecting the Mac platform. AV developers use fear as a marketing tool to the unknowing.

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alert that my computer is locked

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