It’s a terrifying moment. You are browsing the web, and suddenly a loud alarm blares from your speakers. A bright red box fills your screen warning that your computer is infected with malware and your banking details are compromised. Worst of all, your mouse won't let you close the window.

Take a deep breath. Your computer is not infected. This is simply a malicious web page designed to scare you into calling a fraudulent 1-800 number.

You can escape this trap in seconds without spending a dime:
• On a Windows PC: Hold down the 'Ctrl', 'Alt', and 'Delete' keys at the same time, select 'Task Manager', click on your web browser (like Edge or Chrome), and click 'End Task'.
• On a Mac: Hold down 'Option', 'Command', and 'Escape' to force quit the browser.

This completely shuts down the scare-page safely. When you reopen your browser, decline any offer to "restore tabs."

Help keep your friends and family from falling victim to this trick—please forward this post to someone you care about today.