Virus Removal in Prestonpans
Help in Prestonpans and EH32 after a scam call or remote-access pop-up
Virus Removal in Prestonpans: After a Caller Had Remote Access
Prestonpans runs along the Forth from Prestongrange, past the High Street and its murals, to Cuthill and Preston Tower, with Cockenzie and Port Seton just along the coast. Some of the most worrying calls we get from here are not about a virus that arrived on its own. They come after a phone call or a pop-up claiming to be Microsoft, BT or the bank, when someone was given access to the computer to "fix" it.
These scams are convincing, and they catch careful people. Once the caller has been on the computer, though, the job is bigger than running a virus scan. A remote-access program may still be installed, passwords saved in the browser may have been seen, and the email account may have been used to reset others.
So we treat it as a clean-up and a lock-down. We remove the remote-access tools and anything else that was put on the computer, check what runs at start-up and in the browser, and go through your email and other accounts with you, so that passwords are changed from a clean device and two-step sign-in is switched on.
We collect across Prestonpans, Cockenzie, Port Seton and Longniddry, or you can bring the computer to our workshop. Your files are backed up before any clean-up starts.
📞 Signs a caller may have left something behind: a program such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer or a support tool you did not install yourself, new browser extensions, a different home page, or emails in your Sent folder that you did not write.
What's Included
What a clean-up in Prestonpans covers when someone else has been on the computer.
Remote Access Removed
Remote-control programs and hidden support tools are found and uninstalled, and their start-up entries removed, so the caller cannot get back in.
Full Malware Sweep
The computer is checked for anything else that was added: scheduled tasks, start-up programs, browser extensions and changed settings.
Accounts Secured
We go through email, banking and shopping accounts with you, changing passwords from a clean device and switching on two-step sign-in.
Email Checked for Rules
Hidden forwarding and filtering rules in your email are found and removed, as they can quietly send copies of your mail elsewhere.
Files Backed Up First
Documents and photos are copied before any clean-up starts, so nothing you need is lost.
Protection Switched Back On
Windows Security, updates and the firewall are checked and turned back on if they were disabled.
If You Let a Caller On: Three Things to Do Now
These come before any repair, and you can do them today.
Disconnect the computer
Unplug the network cable or switch off Wi-Fi so the remote connection cannot be reopened, and leave the computer off until it has been checked.
Call your bank
If you logged in to online banking or gave card details during the call, phone the bank on the number on the back of your card. Our guide to tech support scams covers how these calls usually run.
Change your email password
Do it from a different device, such as your phone, then check the account for forwarding rules. Our guide to what to do when your email is hacked walks through it.
Other Services in Prestonpans
We offer a full range of computer repair services across the Prestonpans area.
Virus Removal in Nearby Areas
We also cover virus removal across these neighbouring areas — same-day collection and return available across all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Prestonpans customers ask after a scam call or a suspicious pop-up.
Tell us what happened: whether someone had remote access, what they asked you to do, and what the computer is doing now. We come back with a clear quote before any work starts.
Disconnect the computer from the internet and switch it off. If you used online banking or gave card details, call your bank on the number on your card. Then get in touch and we will check the computer before it goes back online.
It is a good start, but callers sometimes add a second way in, change settings or leave other software behind. A full check finds the things that are not obvious.
Not until it has been checked and cleaned. Use your phone or another device for banking until then.
Not always. If everything that was added can be found and removed, a clean-up is enough. If the computer has been changed too much to trust, we recommend a fresh install and explain why before anything is done.
No. Documents and photos are backed up before any clean-up or reinstall, and nothing is deleted without your say-so.
Yes, across EH32: the High Street, West Loan, Cuthill, Prestongrange, Cockenzie, Port Seton and Longniddry. We collect and return, or you can drop the computer at our workshop.
It may be a browser hijack rather than someone having had remote access, and it is usually quicker to fix. We check the extensions, settings and start-up entries that cause it, and remove them.