March 15, 2024 at 08:15AM
The Federal Trade Commission settled for $26 million with Restoro and Reimage, tech support firms, for deceiving consumers into purchasing unnecessary antivirus and computer repair services. They used fake pop-ups to scare consumers into believing their computers had viruses, then charged for fake services and used deceptive telemarketing tactics. The settlement aims to provide redress to deceived consumers.
Based on the meeting notes, it looks like the Federal Trade Commission has reached a $26 million settlement with two tech support firms, Restoro and Reimage. These firms were found to have used deceptive tactics to dupe consumers into paying for unnecessary antivirus and computer repair services. They used fake Microsoft Windows pop-ups to scare consumers and then convinced them to purchase software to resolve non-existing security and performance issues. The telemarketers also used deceptive tactics to sell additional services and claimed that tech repair services cost as much as $500. As part of the settlement, the two companies have agreed to pay the FTC $26 million and stop using deceptive tactics and telemarketing to sell products and services. The funds from the settlement will be used to provide redress to deceived consumers, primarily older adults.