Scammers pretend to be IT support because people trust their IT company. If a call, text or email claims to be from Rainier IT and something feels off, hang up or stop replying, then call us yourself on (206) 593-8072.
| Your plan | What applies to you |
|---|---|
| Managed plan | All of this page. |
| Ordered online (self-serve) | All of this page. We answer Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time. For a security emergency, call. |
¶ What we will never ask for
Rainier IT will never ask you, by phone, text, email or chat, to:
- tell us your password, for any account;
- read out or send a two-step sign-in code, or approve a sign-in prompt on your phone;
- pay us with gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer or a payment app;
- pay an invoice into new bank details sent by email;
- install remote-control software because someone called, texted or showed a pop-up about a problem out of the blue;
- keep a request secret from your manager or your colleagues.
If anyone asks for one of these in our name, it isn't us. Stop, and call us on (206) 593-8072.
No real business or government agency asks you to pay with a gift card. The FTC says that whatever reason they give, it's a scam.
¶ How we normally contact you
| How | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| From an @rainier-it.com address. Emails about a ticket carry your ticket number, and replies stay on that ticket | |
| Links in our emails | Sign-in links go only to sso.rainier-it.com or portal.rainier-it.com |
| Documents to sign | Signing links go only to sign.rainier-it.com. See Signing documents |
| The Client Portal | Your tickets and our replies, at portal.rainier-it.com |
| Phone | Usually about a ticket you opened, or work we agreed with you |
| Connecting to your screen | Only after you've asked for help or agreed a time with us, through the tools already on your computers |
A real message from us can still be unexpected, for example when our monitoring spots a problem. You can always check it using the steps below. We'd rather you check than guess.
¶ Check a call, text or email that claims to be us
¶ A phone call
- Don't give out any information, and don't install or open anything.
- Hang up. A real Rainier IT technician won't mind.
- Call us on (206) 593-8072. Type the number yourself, or use the one saved in your phone.
- Ask whether we just called you.
Caller ID can be faked. A call can show our name or number and still not be from us.
¶ A text message
- Don't select any link in the text, and don't reply.
- Call us on (206) 593-8072, or open a ticket in the Client Portal and ask whether the text is ours.
¶ An email
- Don't select any link or open any attachment in the email.
- Look at the sender's full email address, not only the name shown. Check every letter:
rainler-it.com(an L instead of an I) is notrainier-it.com. - Ask us through a channel you already know: call (206) 593-8072, or open a ticket in the Client Portal by typing the address yourself.
In the Client Portal, select Support, then Open a ticket:
Never use a phone number, link or email address from the suspicious message to check it. If the message is fake, those go to the scammer.
Submitting a ticket shows how to open a ticket step by step.
You'll know it's really us when you reached us on a number or address you looked up yourself, and we confirm the message.
¶ Common scams that use an IT company's name
| What happens | What it really is |
|---|---|
| A pop-up says your computer is infected and to call a number | A scam. Real security warnings never ask you to call a phone number |
| Someone calls about a virus or a hacked account you didn't report | A tech support scam. They want remote access, payment or your passwords |
| "Your subscription is renewing. Call to cancel" | A fake renewal notice, made to get you on the phone |
| A "technician" passes you to someone from your bank or the government who says your money must be moved to keep it safe | A layered scam the FBI calls Phantom Hacker. Nobody genuine asks you to move money to protect it |
| An email from your boss asks you to buy gift cards, quickly and quietly | Someone pretending to be your boss. Check with them in person or on a number you know |
| An email says our bank details have changed | A payment scam. Call us before you pay anything |
¶ If you already gave something away
Act straight away. It is never too late to call, and we won't blame you.
| What you gave | What to do now |
|---|---|
| A password | Change it from a computer or phone you trust, by typing the site's address yourself. Change it anywhere else you used the same password. Then call us |
| A two-step sign-in code, or you approved a prompt | Call us straight away on (206) 593-8072. Someone may be signed in to your account now |
| Remote access to your computer | Unplug the network cable or turn off Wi-Fi, leave the computer on, and call us. See I think my PC got infected |
| Payment by card, gift card, wire transfer or payment app | Call your bank, card issuer, gift card company or payment app straight away, using the number on the card or their own website. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment |
| Your Social Security number or bank details | Tell us, and follow the recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov |
When things are safe, report the scam. It helps others avoid it:
- the FTC, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov;
- the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, if money was lost or the scammer had access to your computer.
Keep the emails, texts, phone numbers and receipts. You and we may need them.
¶ Get help
| Phone, urgent | (206) 593-8072 |
| [email protected] | |
| Client Portal | portal.rainier-it.com |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time. Outside those hours, call and leave a message |
Save (206) 593-8072 in your phone now, so you never have to look it up in a hurry.
¶ Sources
- How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams, FTC Consumer Advice (updated September 2025): pop-ups with a phone number, unexpected calls from "technicians", fake renewals, transfer to a fake government worker; real security warnings never ask you to call a number; payment by gift card, wire, crypto or payment app; change a password you gave away.
- Business Impersonator Scams, FTC Consumer Advice: unexpected messages that look like a business you know; gift cards, cryptocurrency and wire transfers; requests for access to your computer; don't call numbers they give you.
- Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams, FTC Consumer Advice (July 2023): no real business or government agency tells you to pay with a gift card; tech support is among those impersonated.
- No, that's not your boss asking you to buy gift cards, FTC Consumer Alert (January 28, 2026): fake "urgent favor" requests from your boss; check using a number or email you know is real.
- How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam, FTC Consumer Advice (November 2023): caller ID can be faked; hang up and call back on a number you know.
- What To Do if You Were Scammed, FTC Consumer Advice (June 2026): steps for each payment method, for remote access, for passwords and for Social Security numbers.
- Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: don't call numbers from pop-ups, texts or emails; don't download software or give control of your device to someone who contacted you; what to include in a complaint.
- "Phantom Hacker" Scams Target Senior Citizens, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (September 29, 2023): the tech support, bank and government phases; victims told to keep it secret.
- Business Email Compromise, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: check any request to change account or payment details through a second channel.
- Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks, CISA (archived, released February 2021): voice and text scams; verify identity using contact details you already have, not ones in the request; change any password you revealed.
Last reviewed: October 2026