How to Escape a Hijacked Chrome Tab or Scareware Pop-up

Stuck on a page with a pop-up that won’t close, maybe with a scary warning or a phone number to call? This is a common scam called scareware, and you can get out of it safely without calling anyone or clicking anything it tells you to.

Important: Do not click any button inside the pop-up and do not call any number it shows. It’s designed to scare you into installing something harmful or paying for fake support.

On Windows

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Find Google Chrome in the list, select it, and click End task.
3. Reopen Chrome.
4. If Chrome asks to restore your previous tabs, click the X to dismiss it instead of clicking restore.

On Mac

1. Press Cmd + Option + Esc to open Force Quit.
2. Select Google Chrome and click Force Quit.
3. Reopen Chrome and dismiss the restore prompt instead of clicking it.

On a Chromebook

1. Press Refresh + Power to restart your Chromebook.
2. When Chrome reopens, dismiss the restore prompt instead of clicking it.

Quick Tips

• If you want your other tabs back, go to Settings > History > Recently closed and reopen them individually, skipping the one that caused the problem.
• Chrome’s built-in Safe Browsing protection blocks many of these scam pages automatically, so keep it turned on in Settings.

A hijacked tab feels alarming, but force-closing Chrome and avoiding the restore prompt gets you out safely every time.