Today the FTC and the State of Ohio announced that they are sending refunds to victims of fake tech support scams. According to the FTC victims can expect an average refund of $417.
The refunds stem from a settlement the FTC reached with the operators of a tech support scheme. This group operated under a variety of names including Repair All PC, Pro PC Repair, I Fix PC, WebTech World, Online Assist, Datadeck, and Techers247. According to the FTC the defendants contacted consumers through advertisements designed to look like pop-up security alerts from well-known technology companies and that included false warnings that consumers’ computers were compromised. People who called the toll-free number listed on the ads were urged to provide the telemarketers with remote access to their computers. According to the FTC “After running sham diagnostic tests, telemarketers told people that their computers were infected with viruses, had been hacked, or had other problems, and then urged them to buy tech repair services costing hundreds of dollars.
As part of the settlements, all the defendants are barred from offering tech support products and services, from engaging in deceptive telemarketing practices, misrepresenting their affiliation with another company, and collecting or attempting to collect payment for tech support products or services.
The FTC says never requires people to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check. If recipients have questions about the refunds, they should contact the FTC’s refund administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., at 1-877-773-8183.
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