HP Printer help on phone tried to sell me some undefined security software

[Sue103]

An HP in-house helper tried to sell me some kind of security program yesterday.  My problem was that my document had a large decorative letter that took up 3 vertical lines at the beginning of the document and the scanner saw that letter as the whole document.  I made the phone connection from a legitimate HP site. The first tech tried to help and then handed me off to a "superior." The "superior"  took over my MacBook, went into console & another obscure app & said that weak security was allowing foreign ip addresses to interfere with HP drivers. He said he could give security for $199.  Then I knew he was bad & ended the call.  I then called Apple & my contact helped me erase & reinstall my MacBook. The Apple tech said there was no reason at all for the HP guy to go into Console or to wander around my computer.  I can't seem to find a way to complain directly to HP. I tried to submit a complaint on an HP page that looked legitimate but after putting in all my information, the form wouldn't submit. I read somewhere in my wanderings that there is a scam being operated within HP's in -house help. Having gotten into this trouble through HP phone lines & no longer trusting them & being unable to submit a direct complaint, how can I raise the incident to HP? BTW, I have the "work name" of the tech support person who caused all of this distress.

[Max3Aj]

@Sue103, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

We’re very sorry to hear about your recent experience. What you’ve described is not representative of HP’s official support practices, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

HP does not charge for diagnosing printer issues, nor do our agents offer or sell third-party security software. We also do not access system-level tools like Console or obscure apps on your MacBook unless explicitly required for troubleshooting and only with your consent.

Visit our official Fraud Alert page: HP Fraud Alert – Protect Yourself from Scams

Use our Contact HP Support page to escalate the issue: HP Contact Page
Select your product and choose Chat or Email to speak with a verified HP representative.

If you have the name or ID of the person who contacted you, please include it in your report.

Protecting Yourself Going Forward

• HP will never ask for payment to fix basic printer issues or claim foreign IPs are interfering with drivers.
• Always verify you're on an official HP site (URLs should end in hp.com).
• Never allow remote access unless you’re sure the agent is from HP.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[Sue103]

I thought I replied earlier but I don't seen my reply.  I commented on the fact that I could not forward my compliaint to HP directly because it is the weekend and they don't accept calls or texts on the weekend. When I wrote earlier, I saw this as a defect in appearing customer friendly.  Home users are using the machines on the weekend.  I now see this as a broader problem.  As the weekend rolls on, no one is pursuing this scammer and more innocent people will be harmed.  There really should be a law requiring internet-based businesses to have a 24/7 portal for scam reports.

[Max3Aj]

@Sue103, Thank you for your response,  

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action. 

  

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link. 

  

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

  

Max3Aj

HP Support