HP Printer Scam

[powderskier]

I purchased an HP Envy 6455e All-In-One printer from Amazon.  As I started the installation process, on February 17, the installation failed.  The printer would not connect to the PC and a chat box opened on my screen and I told them what I was trying to do and of the failed installation.

The agent told me he could resolve this problem but needed to “take control” of my PC.   I agreed and followed his instructions and he took remote control of my PC.   During this time, I had no doubt that this person was part of the HP support team.  He stated it was his job to make sure the printer worked correctly.

The online chat then became a phone call.  The phone number that contacted me was 813-556-6915 located in Tampa, Florida.  The agent knew what he was doing and said that my computer had been infected with a virus and he would remove it so the installation could go forward.  He said I would be contacted by another agent who would go into more details.   The phone number for this agent was 800-850-4366.  It took an hour and it appeared that the installation was progressing.   It was at this point I was told that this service would cost $199.   I agreed and just wanted the printer to work at this point.

Now I was handed off to another agent, at 813-661-3603 at Brandon, Florida.  At this point the printer was working but the agent still had control of my computer and I could see they were still doing things.  They were able to send a test page to the printer and installed it as the primary printer.  It also scanned at this time.

This agent then presented an option for additional coverage.   They offered a Network Secure Firewall offering for a 1,3,5 years of coverage or lifetime coverage from fees ranging from $200 to $900.  Now I realized this had gone too far.  I declined all of these offers but continued to get a hard sell.  I was then contacted by another agent at 877-448-5678 who offered to discount the protection package.   I declined and stated I would pay the $199 for the services rendered.   They wanted me to hold up a blank check to the camera and I refused.  I said I would only pay by credit card, which I did.

The invoice came from a company called PCMACWin.  However, the following company names appeared in the document:  Print Live Pro and Micro Techlines.  PCMACWin lists their address as 3529 Pelzer Highway, Easley SC with their phone number as **bleep**-552-8220.

This was clearly a scam and I was taken from the start.  However, my concern is, “How did I go from the HP installation process to this support group that was clearly NOT HP?”  My additional concerns is did they do any harm or will they do any future hard to me PC?   I did have the Best Buy Geek Squad do a scan of the computer after all of this and they said it looked fine.   Needless to say I am very concerned and have started changing passwords to all financial related accounts.

This NOT would I would expect from HP.   These “people” or firms have inserted themselves into the HP installation process.   I have found many references to this online when I did some searches after the damage was done.

HP should be aware of this and take action to ensure that the installation process is secure.