Is your computer hacked? 5 warning signs you should never ignore

Is it a help desk call or a hacker looking to steal your money and personal info? The FBI tells us hundreds of millions of dollars were lost to internet crimes last year alone. We found the five biggest warning signs your computer has been hacked and the steps you can take to protect yourself. You may not realize it at first, but malware designed to silently sit on your device may be helping criminals collect your information. The bad guy's whole goal is to stay on your computer and be as quiet as possible. Tech experts say scammers are increasingly tricking people into installing malware themselves through fake emails, suspicious links, bogus pop-up ads claiming your computer is unprotected and vulnerable, and fraudulent tech support calls. They'll just call people and pretend to be a help desk or a security company and say, hey, we noticed you have a problem, download this software, give us access, and we'll help you out. But really, it's just the bad guy masquerading. That opens the door to cybercriminals potentially having a direct remote access to your computer. You may see telltale signs like programs that may take longer to open and high network activity even when the device is idle. Your RAM typically ramps up, your computer gets hotter, and it's just a bunch of programs that you don't see going on. So they can go on your browser, they can go through your file explorer, which has your pictures, your documents, your videos, music, any of that is in there. What you can do on your computer, they can do on your computer. Experts say there are five signs your device might be infected with malware or have someone lurking in the background. Sluggish performance, constant crashes, unusual pop-ups or ads, unknown programs appearing, and browser redirects or strange toolbars. So what can you do to protect yourself? So if you go into your settings, you can look to see what is actually opening up whenever you start up your computer. On Windows, use Control-Alt-Delete to access your task manager to see what programs and apps are running. On a Mac, you can check your activity monitor. Looking at it and seeing what all apps are actually open and running, anything suspicious that you don't know, you should be able to close from there. In a worst case scenario, you can take your device for a complete reset, wiped clean back to factory settings. But the best thing to do is take preventative steps. Experts recommend enabling two-factor authentication, avoiding suspicious links, only downloading software directly from trusted websites, and don't save sensitive information like banking info, passwords, or PINs in your web browser, even on computers you use regularly. If you think your device may already be infected, act quickly. Disconnect from the Internet immediately. That way a hacker cannot do any further damage.