CONSUMER ALERT: Millions available for victims of tech support scams

FLORIDA — Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a Consumer Alert to let victims of several tech support scams know that millions of dollars in restitution is available.

A multimillion-dollar claims process is now in place following action taken by the Florida Attorney General’s Office to shut down several companies operating tech support scams.

Bank of America Merchant Services provided payment processing for the accused companies. Through an agreement with Banc of America, a claims process is now in place with $7.2 million available for victims.

The claims process follows a massive tech support scam investigation by the Attorney General into the following companies: Complete Fix, Compusafe, JSA Sales, GoReadyCalls Marketing, My Direct Customer Care, My Direct Tech, PC Tech Pros, Project Net 123, Protectnet Solutions, Safenet Solutions, Secure IT Digital Solutions, Telcom Experts, US Software Experts, US Software Pros, Webguard 123 and Wizard Tech Solutions.

According to the investigation, as many as 70,000 people nationwide may have fallen victim to scams by these companies. Last month, claims notices went out to potential victims with information about how to obtain restitution.

For more information on the claims process, visit FloridaAGReimbursement.com.

Eligible victims are encouraged to submit claim forms as soon as possible. The deadline to file a claim and any supporting documentation is Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Tech support scams typically involve fake pop-up messages or impostor phone calls claiming that a consumer’s computer is infected with malware that poses imminent risk to the computer. Fraudsters will request virtual access to a victim’s computer to supposedly fix the nonexistent problem. These scammers often target seniors.

To avoid tech support scams, consumers should never:

• Click on any links or call phone numbers provided on pop-up ads or emails;
• Send money, credit card numbers or any financial information to someone they do not know;
• Give anyone control of personal computers or electronic devices;
• Forget that Microsoft and most major computer companies do not display pop-up warnings and ask consumers to call toll-free numbers about viruses or security problems; or
• Go online without up-to-date security software.
• For more information on avoiding tech support scams, click here.

To report a suspected scam, file a complaint by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

Cox Media Group