It’s a common scam. Telemarketers say they’re major computer
companies, con consumers into believing that their computers are riddled with
viruses, and then charge hundreds of dollars to remotely access and “fix” the
consumers’ computers.
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S.
District Court Judge has ordered
a halt to six alleged tech support scams until
further hearings are held. The court also has frozen the companies’
assets.
The FTC charged that the companies – based mostly in India –
target English-speaking consumers in the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland,
New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Five of the six companies used telemarketing boiler rooms to
call consumers, according to the FTC. The sixth enticed consumers by
placing ads with Google, which appeared when consumers searched for their
computer company’s tech support telephone number.
After getting the consumers on the phone, the telemarketers
allegedly claimed they were affiliated with legitimate companies, including
Dell, Microsoft, McAfee, and Norton. And, they told consumers they’d detected
malware that posed an imminent threat to the consumers’ computers.
The scammers offered to get rid of malware for fees ranging
from $49 to $450. When consumers agreed to pay the fee for fixing the
“problems,” the telemarketers directed them to a website to enter a code or
download a software program that allowed the scammers remote access to the
consumers’ computers.
When the telemarketers took control of the consumers’
computers, they “removed” the non-existent malware and downloaded otherwise
free programs.
In addition to individuals, the FTC lawsuits name the
following companies: Pecon Software Ltd., Finmaestros LLC, Zeal IT Solutions
Pvt. Ltd., Virtual PC Solutions, Lakshmi Infosoul Services Pvt. Ltd., and
PCCare247 Inc.
