How to spot fake Family Tree Maker support
Genealogy software attracts support scams, and researchers warn each other about them constantly. The reliable tells are simple: unsolicited contact, a claim that your files must be converted for a fee, pressure to act now, and any request for your passwords. A published phone number is not itself a warning sign. Someone ringing you is.
- Applies to
- Anyone seeking help with Family Tree Maker
- Platform
- Any
- Read
- ~6 min
Why genealogy software attracts scams
Family Tree Maker users are a target for a specific reason: the software holds work that took years to build, and losing it feels catastrophic. Fear makes people act quickly, and acting quickly is what a scam depends on.
Search results make it worse. Many sites present themselves as the official support channel for software they have no connection to, and a phone number is often the entire page.
The warning signs
The United States Federal Trade Commission publishes guidance on tech support scams. These signs come from it, applied to genealogy software.
| Sign | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| They contacted you | An unsolicited call, email or text saying something is wrong with your computer |
| A pop-up gave you a number | A warning on screen telling you to call. Genuine security warnings never do this. |
| Manufactured urgency | You must call within a set time, or your tree will be lost permanently |
| Gift cards or crypto | Payment demanded by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app |
| They want your password | Any request for your Ancestry or email password, by any channel |
| Full remote control | Software that hands over control of the machine rather than showing your screen |
| No identity | No company name, no address, no named people. A phone number and nothing else. |
The Federal Trade Commission states the principle plainly: legitimate technology companies do not contact you by phone, email or text to tell you there is a problem with your computer, and real security warnings never ask you to ring a number.
The tactics used specifically on genealogy users
Genealogy commentators have documented a recurring pattern aimed at Family Tree Maker owners. Recognising it is quicker than assessing each site from scratch.
| Tactic | How it plays out |
|---|---|
| A diagnosis you did not ask for | You call about one thing and are told your database is corrupt, then sold a support package to fix it |
| Remote control, not screen share | Access is requested "to diagnose", which hands over files, saved passwords and browser sessions |
| Paid ads above the real result | Sponsored listings sit above the publisher's own site. Check for the ad label before clicking. |
| Invented offers | Pre-order and "remote installation" offers the publisher never made, aimed at new releases |
| Lookalike domains | Names built from the product plus help, support or a number, implying an official link |
The corrupt-database claim is the one to watch. Corruption is real and does happen, but it is also the easiest thing to assert to someone who cannot check. Before you accept that diagnosis from anyone, run the checks in is your tree file really corrupted. Most trees called corrupt are not.
The upgrade pitch doing the rounds right now
This one is worth knowing in detail, because researchers are being caught by it and warning each other about it in public. Someone contacts you about moving from an older version to FTM 2024 and explains that your existing tree files have to be converted first, so they need to connect to your computer remotely to do the work. It sounds technical enough to be true, and there is usually a fee attached.
It is not true. FTM 2024 opens files from earlier versions directly and converts them itself when you open them. Old trees generally appear in the Plan workspace the first time you run it, and if they do not, the Import Existing Tree option or restoring a backup will bring them in. Nobody has to touch your machine for any of it, and the publisher's own support is free and does not ask for remote access.
The test is what they are charging for, not whether they are charging. Paid help with a genuinely hard job is ordinary. Paid access to your desktop for something the software does on its own, in a few seconds, unprompted, is the tell. Ask one question before you agree to anything: what will you do that opening the file would not? A straight answer is easy to give when there is one.
We will say the same about ourselves. We do not charge for version conversion, because there is nothing to charge for. If you contact us about upgrading and the only thing standing between you and your tree is the converter, we will tell you to open the file and get on with your day.
What no honest service does
- Ask for your password. Not by email, not on a call, not during a session. You type your own passwords, with the screen turned away.
- Ring you first. You contact a support service. It does not contact you about a problem you never reported.
- Take payment in gift cards. Gift cards exist in fraud because they cannot be reversed.
- Claim to be the publisher. An independent service says it is independent. Anyone implying they are the official channel is misrepresenting themselves.
- Refuse to say no. An honest service tells you when the answer is free, or when the problem belongs with the publisher.
Publishing a phone number is not a warning sign. Ringing you is. Plenty of honest services list a number so you can reach them. The distinction is direction: you make the call, and nobody calls you claiming your computer has a problem.
How the publisher actually provides support
This is the check that settles most questions, and it surprises people: the publisher runs support through live chat and email, not an inbound telephone line. Long-standing users in genealogy communities repeat this constantly, because it is the fastest way to identify a site claiming to be the official channel.
The consequence is direct. A site presenting a large "call us now" number as the official Family Tree Maker support line is misrepresenting itself, because no such official line exists.
Where that leaves us. We publish a phone number, and we are not the publisher's support line. We say so on every page of this site. An independent service telling you plainly that it is independent, and pointing you to the publisher for licences, billing and refunds, is doing the opposite of what a fake channel does.
Four checks before anyone touches your computer
Find out who they are. A real company names itself, states where it operates, and says plainly whether it is independent of the publisher.
Ask what happens if they cannot fix it. A straight answer about payment is a good sign. An evasive one is not.
Ask which parts they will not touch. Licences, refunds and billing belong with the publisher. A service claiming it handles everything is claiming too much.
Check the session type. View-only screen sharing lets someone see your screen while you keep control. Full remote control hands the machine over. Prefer the first.
Licence keys, refunds and account billing go to the publisher free of charge. Any service charging you for those is charging for something you can get for nothing.
If you already paid or gave access
Disconnect the computer from the internet to end any active session.
Change your passwords from a different device, starting with email, then Ancestry, then anything financial.
Contact your bank or card issuer. Card payments are often reversible. Gift cards and cryptocurrency rarely are, though reporting them quickly still matters.
Remove any software they installed, and have the machine checked if you are unsure what was added.
Report it. In the United States, report tech support fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.
Back up your tree once the machine is clean, so the next problem starts from a safe position — see backing up a tree file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Family Tree Maker support service is legitimate?
Check that it names itself and states whether it is independent of the publisher, that it tells you plainly what it will not handle, that it never asks for passwords, and that it uses view-only screen sharing rather than full remote control.
Will real support ever call me about a problem?
No. The Federal Trade Commission states that legitimate technology companies do not contact you by phone, email or text to say there is a problem with your computer. You make the first contact.
A pop-up told me to call a number. Is that genuine?
No. Real security warnings never ask you to ring a number. A pop-up giving you a phone number is a scam.
Should a support service ask for my Ancestry password?
Never, by any channel. In a screen-share session you type your own passwords while the other person looks away or you blank the screen.
Why do they want payment in gift cards?
Gift cards, wire transfers and cryptocurrency are used in fraud because the payment cannot be reversed. No legitimate service asks for them.
Is a support service charging me for a licence problem?
Licences, refunds and account billing are handled free by the publisher. Paying a third party for those means paying for something available at no cost.
What do I do if I already gave someone access?
Disconnect from the internet, change your passwords from a different device starting with email, contact your bank, remove any software they installed, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
Want to check something first?
Ask us before you pay anyone. We tell you when a fix is free or belongs with the publisher.