Legitimate support may ask to see an error. A scammer can make the same request. The decisive question is not whether the caller sounds technical, but how you reached them and what access you are about to grant.
Start the contact yourself
Unexpected calls, pop-ups and search ads are poor foundations for remote access. The US Federal Trade Commission warns that fake technicians use them to sell useless services, collect payment details or gain control of a computer.
End an unsolicited contact. If you need help, open the vendor’s official site or application yourself and start a new request through its documented channel. A case number is useful only when you can verify it inside that channel.
Know whether you are sharing or handing over control
Screen sharing lets another person watch what appears. Remote control can also accept clicks and typing. Read the tool’s prompt before allowing either. Do not assume that “support session” means view-only.
Close email, password managers, private documents and unrelated browser tabs. Turn off notification previews. Use an invented sample file when the problem can be demonstrated without real personal data.
Keep important actions in your hands
Do not reveal passwords, recovery codes or payment-card details on screen. Enter credentials only into the service you opened independently, and stop sharing while doing so. If a helper asks you to disable security protections, buy gift cards or conceal the session, end it.
End and review
Use the sharing tool’s stop button, close the application and verify that the session has ended. Remove temporary remote-access software if it is no longer needed, following its own uninstall instructions.
Afterwards, review what was changed and keep the official case record. If access was unexpected or sensitive information was exposed, treat that as a separate security incident rather than assuming that closing the window erased its effects.