FTC Sending Refund Checks to People Tricked by Tech Support Scams

[MacRumors]

The United States Federal Trade Commission today announced that it is sending out refund checks totaling over $1.7 million to people who fell victim to tech support scams.

Click4Support image via MalwareTips​

Scam companies like Click4Support created ads on various websites claiming to be from tech support companies like Apple and Microsoft, tricking consumers into calling them for unneeded tech support services.

Click4Support representatives would convince people into providing them with remote access to their computers for identifying non-existent viruses and malware. The fake services were sold both on a one time fee basis or with a long-term service plan, with the fake company charging from $69 to thousands of dollars.

The FTC shut down Click4Support and other similar companies back in 2015 and filed legal action at that time, with refunds finally available for customer who were tricked into shelling out money.

The FTC is providing refunds averaging approximately $30 each to victims, and most recipients will receive their refunds through PayPal, though some will receive checks. The money is sourced from Click4Support after a federal court in 2018 ruled that its assets should be used to reimburse customers who lost money due to the scams.

While this is a small victory for some users who have been tricked by scammers, scams have unfortunately grown much more sophisticated over the course of the last five years.

Apple maintains a dedicated support page that instructs customers on how to avoid phishing emails, fake virus alerts, fake phone calls, and other similar scams. These tips are well worth reading for anyone who owns an Apple device.

Article Link: FTC Sending Refund Checks to People Tricked by Tech Support Scams

 

[TheAppleFairy]

Where is the money coming from? Tax dollars or is money recovered from the scammers?

 

[CrapShack]

Wish I was stupid. Pays well.

P.S. Anybody know how I can get that "macrumors newbie" notation removed or changed in my profile box?

I KNOW, I'll do this Click4Support thing and for $69 they'll tell me

 

[D.T.]

My tech support company always asks for Target gift cards as payment - so I'm confident they're legitimate.

 

[nutmac]

Wish I was stupid. Pays well.

Yeah, whole $30.

The FTC will begin providing 57,960 refunds averaging about $30 each to victims of the scheme.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Am I a jerk for being of the mindset that if you're... let's say ignorant... enough to fall for these scams then you kind of deserve it and shouldn't be reimbursed?

 

[TheAppleFairy]

P.S. Anybody know how I can get that "macrumors newbie" notation removed or changed in my profile box?

User titles are based on post counts:

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[victorm1]

I should hope that’s not taxpayer money but then again governments are always far too happy to spend other people’s money.

 

[jclo]

Where is the money coming from? Tax dollars or is money recovered from the scammers?

Looked it up. From an earlier announcement: "At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court ordered that the assets of the operators of an alleged tech support scam be used to reimburse consumers who lost money to the defendants’ scheme."

I'll add this information to the article.

 

[TheAppleFairy]

Looked it up. From an earlier announcement: "At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court ordered that the assets of the operators of an alleged tech support scam be used to reimburse consumers who lost money to the defendants’ scheme."

I'll add this information to the article.

Awesome, that's the way it should be in my opinion. Thanks

 

[SDJim]

I get a fairly convincing scam email from "Apple" about once a month. I'm surprised its not a bigger issue, with how good they have become.

I should hope that’s not taxpayer money but then again governments are always far too happy to spend other people’s money.

They only ever spend other peoples' money, unfortunately.

 

[OriginalMacRat]

Am I a jerk for being of the mindset that if you're... let's say ignorant... enough to fall for these scams then you kind of deserve it and shouldn't be reimbursed?

The Boomer generation believes everything they are told.

They grew up at a time when most people had never heard of a scam.

 

[Rychiar]

being rewarded for idiocy... seems legit in government

 

[Anarchy99]

PLOT TWIST: scammers will learn of this, and call the FTC to claim money as a "Victim" while continuing to do the tech support scams, completing an ouroboros of scamming.

 

[jonblatho]

Love to talk to a “professional techie” on the phone.

 

[m4mario]

Am I a jerk for being of the mindset that if you're... let's say ignorant... enough to fall for these scams then you kind of deserve it and shouldn't be reimbursed?

Most of the victims are old people with no understanding of computers and many have undiagonized Alzheimer's. They are/were pretty smart when it comes to various other aspects of life. Some of them were scammed out of their life's savings. There have been incidents of suicide due to scams. Is this how you want to treat the elderly who worked to build this country, who fought wars to protect you, who laid the roads you drive your car in?

 

[now i see it]

The fake services were sold both on a one time fee basis or with a long-term service plan, with the fake company charging from $69 to thousands of dollars.

Soooo..

The FTC is providing refunds averaging approximately $30 each to victims

 

[UltimateSyn]

Most of the victims are old people with no understanding of computers and many have undiagonized Alzheimer's. They are/were pretty smart when it comes to various other aspects of life. Some of them were scammed out of their life's savings. There have been incidents of suicide due to scams. Is this how you want to treat the elderly who worked to build this country, who fought wars to protect you, who laid the roads you drive your car in?

I think this is a little bit of an extreme reaction to what I said, but I see your point. I just don't think that getting petty scammed warrants being reimbursed, unless the money is coming back from the company that scammed them. A payment from the FTC sounds like 'tax dollars' to me.

 

[m4mario]

I think this is a little bit of an extreme reaction to what I said, but I see your point. I just don't think that getting petty scammed warrants being reimbursed, unless the money is coming back from the company that scammed them. A payment from the FTC sounds like 'tax dollars' to me.

Yeah I went overboard😆. But the article clearly states that the money is sourced from the assets of Click4Support. None of your tax dollars is going to these victims. They are just going to top financial institutions as bail out.

 

[Asarien]

User titles are based on post counts:

• Newbie => 0 - 29 posts
• Member => 30 posts
• Regular => 100 posts (minimum required to post in the Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum)
• 6502 => 250 posts (minimum required for access to the Marketplace forum)
• 6502a => 500 posts
• 65816 => 1,000 posts
• 65832 => 1,500 posts
• 68000 => 1,505 posts
• 68010 => 2,000 posts
• 68020 => 2,005 posts
• 68030 => 2,500 posts
• 68040 => 3,000 posts
• 601 => 4,000 posts
• 603 => 5,000 posts
• 604 => 6,500 posts
• G3 => 8,000 posts
• G4 => 10,000 posts
• G5 => 12,000 posts

The joke clearly went over your head.

 

[TheAppleFairy]

The joke clearly went over your head.

Is there a joke there...if so it's stupid.

 

[SeattleMoose]

My wife was having trouble recovering her gmail account from another phone. Like a fool I found a "Gmail Recovery" phone number which some commenters had indicated as being legit. Stupid me...as I had her call the number and some guy from India told her that the account was being used for porn and that she had made over 100K. He logged onto her computer and showed this official looking scan showing the word "porn" in multiple file paths etc. He said for $999 he could clear her name and get back her lost Gmail account.
We smelled a rat (with Curry). When I got on the phone I learned his name was "Billy Johnson" and he worked for Google Tech Support in "Silicon Valley" (Mumbai?). I asked for his Google employee ID number and the number of a Google Silicon Valley HR department where I could confirm his employment/position. The number he gave us was not a U.S. number. I called him out and he said he would call us back. We gave up getting the old gmail account back and luckily no further indications of hacking/remote control have been present. It is easy to fall into traps....

 

[konqerror]

Soooo..

Most criminals decide to spend their money in ways that benefit themselves, rather than carefully saving it up so that it can be eventually confiscated and given back to their victims...

 

[Doctor Q]

PLOT TWIST: scammers will learn of this, and call the FTC to claim money as a "Victim" while continuing to do the tech support scams, completing an ouroboros of scamming.

Thanks for teaching me a new word.

I'm glad some of the victims are getting their money back. The dollar amount may be small, but at least they know that somebody was on their side. It's a moral victory if nothing else.

 

[Asarien]

These are the same people who believe everything they read on Facebook. Except there's no refund on our failing democracy from all the lies.