Oakshield

Tech-support scammers often say they're from a company you've heard of, and sometimes that includes us. These are the rules we always follow. If a caller breaks any of them, they aren't from Oakshield. Hang up.

Real Oakshield support will never

  • Call you out of the blue to say your computer has a virus, has been hacked, or that your subscription has a problem.
  • Ask you to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, Zelle, or cash sent in the post.
  • Ask for your passwords, bank details, card numbers or one-time security codes.
  • Ask you to install a program so they can connect to your computer, unless you called us first and asked for that help.
  • Tell you to log in to your bank while they're connected, or say they've sent you a "refund" by mistake.
  • Threaten you, say you'll be arrested or charged a fee, or say you must act right now.
  • Tell you to keep the call secret from your family or your bank.

Check a caller with Oakshield

If someone says they're from Oakshield, or from the computer shop that set it up for you, Oakshield can check.

  1. Open Oakshield and go to Get help.
  2. Choose Is this caller really from Oakshield?
  3. Ask the caller for a check code. Real support makes one from their own Oakshield dashboard; it's 6 numbers.
  4. Type it in. Oakshield tells you who made it, or warns you that the code is wrong.

A scammer can't make a check code that works. If the code is wrong, or the caller makes an excuse not to give one, hang up. Oakshield also tells your support team that someone tried.

How to reach us for real

When in doubt, hang up and contact us yourself, using these details. Don't use a number or link that a caller, pop-up or email gave you.

  • Phone: [support phone number]
  • Email: admin@oakshield.app. Our emails only ever come from addresses ending in @oakshield.app.
  • Website: oakshield.app. Look-alikes such as "oakshield-support.com" or "oak-shield.app" are not us.

If a local computer shop set up Oakshield for you, they're one of our partners. Their name and phone number are on Oakshield's Get help page, and they follow the same rules.

If you think you've been scammed

  1. Hang up and don't answer if they call back.
  2. If they connected to your computer, turn off the internet or turn the computer off.
  3. Call your bank using the number on the back of your card, and tell them what happened. The sooner, the better.
  4. Change your email and banking passwords from a different, trusted device.
  5. Tell someone you trust. Scammers count on people feeling embarrassed. You've done nothing wrong; these people are professionals.
  6. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to the FBI at ic3.gov.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network runs a free helpline for anyone, member or not: 877-908-3360.