Had a fake 'security update' popup freeze my laptop in a coffee shop in Seattle

I thought I knew better than to fall for those things, but this one looked exactly like my antivirus software and locked me out completely until I paid $150. Has anyone else dealt with a fake update that looked way too real?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixm2912d ago

Ngl, did you try force restarting it before paying or was the lockout totally unbreakable?

ramirez.vera12d ago

Wait, did you actually try holding down the power and volume down button together for like 30 seconds? Because that force restart trick works on most locked phones even if the screen is black. I had a friend who swore his iPhone was bricked last week and he was about to pay some guy $150 to fix it, but I made him try that combo and boom it came right back. So yeah, worth a shot before you throw money at it.

ericcraig12d ago

Yeah I read that same trick somewhere, it's saved my ass twice now.