The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will begin sending refunds totaling more than $1.7 million to consumers who were victims of a tech support scam. The scam tricked consumers into buying tech support services by claiming their computers were infected with viruses, malware, or other security breaches.
The FTC, along with Connecticut and Pennsylvania, alleged that the perpetrators of the scheme, which operated under Click4Support and other names, used ads on search engines like Google and popups on websites. The ads and popups claimed to be from major tech companies such as Microsoft and Apple and tricked consumers into calling the defendants and buying tech support services that consumers did not need.
The FTC will begin providing 57,960 refunds averaging about $30 each to victims of the scheme. Most recipients will get their refunds via PayPal, but those who receive checks should deposit or cash their checks within 60 days, as indicated on the check. The FTC 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 1-877-389-4472.
The FTC’s new interactive dashboards for refund data provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2019, FTC actions led to more than $232 million in refunds to consumers across the country.
Source: U.S. Federal Trade Commission
MacDailyNews Note: Because the FTC does not have mailing addresses for most of the consumer victims, the agency is sending 57,813 PayPal payments and 147 checks.
If you receive a PayPal payment, you have 30 days to accept the payment. For more details about the payment process, please read the FTC’s related FAQ.
If you receive a check, you have 60 days to cash it.
If you would like to get your refund in a different payment method than the one you received, or if you have other questions, please call the refund administrator at 1-877-389-4472.
Talk about nanny state.
You would prefer to live in a world without a cop on the beat? Or you think that cop should not levy fines against guilty scam artists? Or you think the non-nanny state should keep the money? Please clarify.
But by all means, don’t cash your check. That small token of justice would make you a communist or something even worse. Gasp!