Remote access scams: how they work and how to stay safe

Remote desktop apps, TideDesk included, give another person control of your computer. That is the point when it is your own computer or someone you trust. It is also what scammers want.

How the scam works

Someone contacts you first: a phone call, a pop-up that says your computer is infected, a message from “your bank”, “support” or “a delivery company”. They sound urgent and helpful. They ask you to install a remote access app and read out the code it shows. With that code they control your computer, and they use it to open your bank, install software, or ask you to “confirm” a payment.

The rule that stops it

Never give a remote access code to someone who contacted you. Banks, Microsoft, internet providers and delivery companies do not cold-call and ask for remote access. If you are unsure, hang up and call the organisation back on a number you find yourself.

TideDesk repeats this where it matters: the website and the app’s This computer page, right under the code, both say to give the access code only to someone you know and trust.

If you already let someone in

1. Disconnect the computer from the internet (Wi-Fi off or cable out).
2. Close the remote access app. In TideDesk, quit it from the tray icon, not just the window.
3. From a different device, change the passwords for your email and bank, and turn on two-factor sign-in where you can.
4. Call your bank on the number on your card if you shared card details or saw a payment.
5. Report it to your country’s fraud reporting service, and check the computer for software you did not install.

Using TideDesk safely

• Share the access code only on purpose, with someone you know.
• When you connect by address, check the host’s fingerprint the first time; TideDesk remembers it and refuses a host whose fingerprint changes.
• Mouse control and clipboard sharing have their own switches, and the host can deny them.