How-toOnline Safety and Scams

How to find real support and avoid fake phone numbers

Learn how to reach a company's genuine help channels, check a website address, and spot fake support listings in search results, ads and pop-ups.

  • Updated
  • 8 min
  • Beginner
Applies to
  • Any device

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When something breaks, a quick search for "support number" can lead straight to a scammer. Learn how to reach a company's real help channels, check that a website is the right one, and know what to do when you are unsure.

Why searching for a phone number is risky

Scammers pay for search ads and publish web pages that look like official support for printers, computers, email and software. The number on those pages rings the scammer, not the company. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a US government agency, advises contacting a company with a number you know is real, and never the number in a message or pop-up.

Companies do not cold-call you

Microsoft says it never proactively contacts people to offer unsolicited technical support, and the FTC says legitimate tech companies do not contact you about a computer problem by phone, email or text. If someone does, hang up, and start your own contact using the steps below.

Reach real support in five steps5 numbered steps, one under the other. The full text follows the picture.Reach real support in five steps1Find the modelRead the label or the settingsscreen2Type the addressUse a bookmark or type themaker's site yourself3Check the nameMake sure the owner name isthe maker's, not a look-alike4Use its help pageOpen support from the mainsite5Pick a channelUse chat, a ticket or thenumber listed there
You start the contact, so you choose where it goes.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Find the model: Read the label or the settings screen
  2. Type the address: Use a bookmark or type the maker's site yourself
  3. Check the name: Make sure the owner name is the maker's, not a look-alike
  4. Use its help page: Open support from the main site
  5. Pick a channel: Use chat, a ticket or the number listed there

What you need

  • The maker and model of the product, and the problem in a sentence.
  • Any order number, account email or warranty details, if you have them.
  • A few minutes, and a second person if you want a second opinion.

Find the model name

  1. Look at the label on the bottom or back of the device, or at the box and manual. A printer's model name is usually printed on the front or on a label.
  2. On Windows 11 or 10, open Settings then System then About to see the device name and model details.
  3. On a Mac, open the Apple menu, then About This Mac.

Reach the official support page

  1. Type the maker's website address into the browser's address bar yourself. If you have bookmarked it before, use the bookmark. Do not click an advertisement.
  2. Look for the Support link on the main site and choose your product from there. Official examples are support.microsoft.com, support.apple.com and support.google.com.
  3. Follow the troubleshooting steps first. Many problems are solved there.
  4. If you need a person, use the contact options listed on that official page. These are often chat, a request form, or a number that appears on the maker's own site.
  5. Write down what was said and keep any case number.

Other places for genuine contact details

The back of your bank or credit card, a paper bill, the box or manual that came with the product, and the maker's own app or account page all show real contact details. In Windows, the built-in Get Help app is Microsoft's own way to ask for help.

Check that a website address is real

Find the part of the address before the first single slash. Read it from right to left: the last two names, such as microsoft.com, show who owns it. Anything to the left of them is a label the owner chose and proves nothing.

Reading a web address
AddressWho owns it
support.microsoft.com/windowsmicrosoft.com, which is Microsoft
microsoft.com.help-center.example/supporthelp-center.example, which is not Microsoft
microsoft-support-help.example/fixA different site whose name only contains the word

Watch for look-alike spellings, extra words such as "customer-care" or "help-desk", and unusual endings. In some countries the ending has two parts, such as .co.uk, so the owner is the name directly before that ending.

Signs a support listing is fake

  • It is a sponsored result or an advertisement at the top of the search results.
  • The page is mostly a large phone number, and no help content.
  • It claims to be "official" but sits on a third-party address.
  • It tells you to download remote-control software before explaining anything.
  • It asks for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or a payment app. The FTC lists these as scam payment methods.
Should I trust this contact?A top-to-bottom flow chart with 5 boxes. Work through them in order and stop when the problem is fixed. The full text follows the picture.Should I trust this contact?NoNoNo1Did they contact you first?Yes: Do not reply. Hang up.2Is the number from an ad orpop-up?Yes: Do not use it3Is the site name not themaker's?Yes: Close the page4Open the maker's officialsite yourselfUse the help options listedon that site.
One yes below is enough to stop.
Text version of this diagram
  1. Question 1: Did they contact you first? If yes: Do not reply. Hang up.. If no, go on to the next item.
  2. Question 2: Is the number from an ad or pop-up? If yes: Do not use it. If no, go on to the next item.
  3. Question 3: Is the site name not the maker's? If yes: Close the page. If no, go on to the next item.
  4. Step 4: Open the maker's official site yourself
  5. If nothing worked: Use the help options listed on that site.

If you are not sure

  • Ask someone you trust to look at it with you. The FTC suggests going to someone you know and trust.
  • Many computer stores offer in-person help. Choose one you already know of and go in person.
  • Use the support page on the manufacturer's website for printers and other devices, typed in yourself.

Never call a number from a pop-up

If a warning on your screen shows a number, do not call it, and do not let anyone you reach control your device. If you already did, read what to do if you gave someone remote access.

Report fake listings

In the United States, report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and Microsoft-related scams at microsoft.com/reportascam. Elsewhere, use your own government's consumer-protection site. For more on how these schemes work, see how to spot tech support scams, and for software, safe downloads and fake driver sites.

Frequently asked questions

Is the first search result always safe?

No. Paid ads can appear first, and they can be misleading. Go to the maker's website directly instead.

The caller ID shows the company's name. Is it genuine?

Not necessarily. Caller ID can be faked, so a familiar name proves nothing. End the call and contact the company yourself.

What if a genuine company really wants to reach me?

Then it will not mind you checking. Contact it through its official website or the details on your bill, and ask whether the request is real.

I found a number on a site that looks right. Can I use it?

Only if you reached the site by typing the maker's own address and the number is on its official support page. A number found by searching alone is not enough.

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Beware of fake support

Real support never asks you to call an unfamiliar number, pay with gift cards or let a stranger control your computer.

How to find real support and avoid fake phone numbers