HP Support forwarded me to a private IT person without my knowledge

[Marsha325]

I bought an HP printer and had difficulty installing the driver for it. I reached out to HP online and they put me in contact with a live person. After working with them online for a while, the man passed me to someone else who was an "expert". He said that I had a virus and worms and they had to remove a bunch of stuff. Then they passed me on to a third person who wanted to install new malware because they said my other malware could not have been working with all these issues. I allowed them to do that. They charged me $229.96 for three years of Malware.

When I got the receipt, there was nothing on it it about Malware or a three-year warranty. It was from a private g-mail account with the name Gill IT Solutions. I thought all this time I was working with a HP support rep. What a SCAM. HP better look into this.

I had to take my laptop somewhere else to have everything de-installed. I believe I started out talking to an HP support rep, but he passed me on to someone else. EXTREMELY UPSET WITH HP OVER THIS SCAM!

[Dragon-Fur]

@Marsha325 

First, please read and heed our public service announcement -

Welcome to the HP English Community --

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<< Warning - Read >>

- HP Community cannot make use of Private Information -

- The HP Community is a public website -

- Please do NOT post serial numbers, email addresses, full names, addresses, case numbers --

Do not trust Tags or Links added to Community Posts by new members that direct you to contact a phone number, email, chat, or social media.

HP Support does not make use of Community "Tags" or "Call us" links from new members.

HP Support does not free post support phone numbers as usernames nor does HP Support free post Chat links.

Your computer is not full of bugs.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community --

Real people who own, use, and support HP devices.

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Unfortunately, you were scammed  and not by HP.

I am sorry this happened.

What you describe is a very common scheme.

You were never in contact with HP Support.

HP and other legitimate companies are well aware of the thousands of scam sites on the Internet.

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent people from going to these sites and using the services of those who mean harm.

What happened?

Just a plain old, Not-HP website landing that turned into a nightmare.

There are at least hundreds of scam sites all over the Internet -- probably thousands.

Hints that something is terribly wrong can include and are not limited to the following "red flags":

• HP Support does not free post support phone numbers,
• HP Support does not free post chat links.
• HP Support will not cold-call you,  nor will HP pop-up unexpectedly on your screen.
• HP Support will not transfer you to other support sites.  Not.
• HP Support does not care about your Firewall and does not want to sell you "protection".
• HP Support does not want remote access to your computer to check for "so many bugs or issues".
• HP requires you submit an In-Warranty case to  HP World-Wide Support  >> When -- and if -- the case is accepted, contact information will be displayed for your region.

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When you give away remote access to your computer, then anything in that computer that is not hidden behind encryption is susceptible to being compromised.  Depending on the type of breach, the skill of the thieves, and their intent - "compromised" can mean installing unknown software or malware, accessing your private files, perhaps even copying those files or pictures, and discovering passwords.

What to do?

All of these and more...

• Change all your passwords -- including those for your network and router.

• Contact your bank - try to reverse charges for any supposed "security software" or "firewall protection".  Ask your bank to put a freeze on mysterious charges that show up.  True, there is a limit to what some banks will do; trying is better than not.

• Remove whatever software you know the thieves installed.

• Use your own security software or, for Windows use Windows Defender to scour your computer for bugs, malware, monitoring software.

• Report the incident to the authorities.

• Perhaps warn your friends, colleagues, or other contacts about being contacted by "unknown" people.

• Block any contact with the thieves - on phone, email, and text.

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What can we do?

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Should there be a response, look for a message here before the agent uses other methods to contact you.

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Request for Review – Please Read

A request has been submitted to our HP Community moderators for review and evaluation of your concern.

Worth Noting

• Our HP Community is a peer-to-peer user group.
• We are not HP Technical Support -- We are not associated with HP Sales, Service, or Warranty.
• Our request for assistance on your behalf does not guarantee HP will respond nor does our request influence the outcome.
• The time frame (how long it takes) to receive a response from HP is not controlled by the Community.

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Important

Never post private information in the HP Community!

Thieves are waiting - do not just hand out your privacy to their keeping.

HP Support does not free-post phone numbers for HP Support on the Internet.

Your computer is not full of bugs and you do not need to pay a fee for driver support.

Pay attention to where you are going.

Do not wander around on the Internet looking for help –

When looking for help, start only at legitimate web sites for your product.

One dot, one letter, a single space out of place can land you on the dark side.

• HP Support  HP World-Wide Support
• Store/HP.com  USA HP Sales and Customer Service

  Not your HP store? 

  Scroll to the bottom of the store website and click the Flag to change regions.

• HP products, start here in the HP Community or at the HP Website
• Microsoft / Windows - start at Microsoft Web Site 
• Printer Software - 123.hp.com - Printer setup from the HP® Official site
• Help with Instant Ink - HP Instant Ink Support - Website 
• Combined Printer, Support, and Ink Subscription Service -  HP All-In Plan - Printer / Ink / Support
• Out-of-Warranty > Paid Subscription or One Time Help: -  HP SmartFriend Services | HP® Official Site
  • Open the SmartFriend Data Sheet - Contact Information 
  • Scroll down to section “Service by Region” and check the contact options in your region / location.

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READ – Be Informed – Be Aware

 HP Fraud Alert: Protecting Yourself from Scams | HP® Official Site

 HP Fraud Alert: Protect Yourself from Scams, Report Suspicious Calls

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Thank you for participating in the HP Community --

Real people who own, use, and support HP devices.

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