IT scam

Søren

I am pretty sure that I have been a victim of a scam. I couldn’t scan on to my computer so goggled Hewlett Packard site simply to set it up again. A chat box appeared and claimed there was a “fatal error” on the computer. I was put through to the technical dept and suddenly it all got  a bit fast a furious. Basically a company got remote access and then produced a box that was claimed to show some of my programs had been switched off and couldn’t be re-started. There had been no previous problems with the computer. A search produced a black screen and the one word diagnosis “Trojan”.  For a fee they would sort out the scanner, remove the Trojan, install security, and have IT support for three years  (£500) with some pressure selling . After divulging too much information and a few phone calls ( 0800, Oxford and Paris codes), all seems sorted. Interesting elements including having to place iPhones & iPads by the computer so they could also be fixed. Immediate payment required by bank transfer didn’t work ( problem at their end) so a cheque would do first class. The technician called himself by an English name but his accent certainly wasn’t. Strangely the company is on goggle and advertises that it takes all cards. Eventually worries inside made me think this is all wrong. A trusted IT adviser says it’s a scam, there was no security installed, and I don’t want a support package. Was the whole thing a scam? They’re hassling me for money ( down to £300 with no support). Passwords and banking security have been changed. Computer security setup.  So what should I do? How do I report as a possible scam? Is UK IT Tech Limited  genuine or crook?

BigAl94

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5826036/possible-scam-uk-it-tech-ltd/p2

dan958

I dont have a clue what the going rate for tech support is, so I dont have a clue if there was a legit issue with your computer that they fixed for a standard tech support price - but to me, it sounds like a scam, ot at least taking advantage of someone. Looks like HP does offer a monthly support sub; https://www8.hp.com/us/en/services/consumer/smartfriend-overview.html so it may just be a case of a tech support knowing they can rip someone off for something that is pretty basic to fix 

Was it HP that fixed your computer (or did they at least say they were HP, if not, what company did they say they were)? Do you have any order confirmations? Are you able to go through your internet history to give us a rundown on the sites you went to to get in contact with them?

Paying by bank transfer or cheque is definitely the most dodgy thing that makes me think scam.

I'd recommend running Malware bytes  https://www.malwarebytes.com/ and Windows Defender to make sure they didnt put anything dodgy on your computer.

BigAl94

Report here https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

RumRat

Indian rip off set up. One of many unfortunately, never, ever, pay someone to sort your PC out over the phone....£500 charge should have been a red flag if nothing else...
If you haven't sent the cheque, don't, if you have cancel it. Check with your bank to see if the £500 transfer did go through and try for a chargeback if possible.
Ignore any further communications from them......

Søren

I went on HP via goggle but the company that claimed to assist were UK IT Tech Ltd. 
Action Fraud done. 

JJ_Egan

depends upon what you type in to google .

Goggle could be a fake search site .

RumRat

 If you type 'HP support' into Google you get HP support as the first listing.
Did you actually lose any money during this or was it just an attempted scam which you managed to swerve?

AndyPix

Classic scam down to the letter im afraid.

Although im not sure what they were after by placing idevices by the computer - that bit is new to me.

No ill affect i suspect - it was likely just for show.

The "pop up" that told you that you had a problem was either a specially crafted advert on an unscrupulous site, or the site you found yourself on, was indeed unscrupulous its self.

These crooks pay for redirects to their sites, and hp support is a very popular target for them.. you were definitely NOT on an HP site.

So what you need to do now, is cancel any form of payment you may have proffered to them, change any passwords to any banking sites they likely tried to get you to visit whilst on your computer, change passwords to your email accounts.

BUT DO THIS FROM A TRUSTED 2nd COMPUTER.

Once youve sorted that, you need to get rid of whatever they have left on your computer that could allow them further access.

Run malwarebytes free version from here

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/

and then also free ADW Cleaner from here

https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/

Never ever pay money for it support following a phone call or website visit again

a

Søren said:

I went on HP via goggle but the company that claimed to assist were UK IT Tech Ltd. 
Action Fraud done.

That company has sort of been mentioned here before for the same thing. I know the area, lived around there for a while, so when I visited their web page the street was familiar, and so was the street view house was the same as a few years ago

[Deleted User]

In my (far from expert) opinion it’s a scam, an indian call centre scam at best guess.