Is Smart Tech Restore legitimate HP Support?

[Sieds1]

I purchased HP 8130e printer on Friday, Feb 6, 2026.  Scanned QR code that came in box with printer to download driver and get printer set up.  Assistant on HP website asked if she could help, so I interacted with her.  She tried downloading driver but it failed, then said she'd get a technician to call me shortly.  Received call, person was identified as Barry Campbell, but had Indian accent.  He tried downloading driver, which failed.  Said I had viruses on my laptop preventing download, he could fix problem.  So I allowed him access to my laptop, he changed a bunch of things (I'm not a teckie so don't know what), and eventually was able to get driver to load.  He had someone else contact me to set up printer.  Then I was forwarded to another woman, she said I needed to pay for computer repair, and said I needed protection from viruses for online computer protection (I already have McAfee).   I asked if this was HP, first she said Techify, they work with HP.  Then when it came time to pay, she said it was through Company called Smart Tech Restore, but payment would go through Geek Autobuzz.   The whole time I thought I was dealing with HP, they were first going to charge $199 for laptop repair, but if I signed up for virus protection they could provide lifetime for $999 and waive $199 repair charge.  Unfortunately I'd already given them my credit card info before I got suspicious, so the charge went through to "Geek Autobuzz."    I cancelled my credit card, not sure yet if the charge will be reversed.   Smart Tech Restore called me about 8X afterward, to complete installation, but I didn't pick up, cut off all contact.  Should I be concerned?  This happened through HP website but feels like a scam.  Anybody have advice?

[Dragon-Fur]

@Sieds1 

Welcome to the HP Community --

I am sorry this happened to you.

Unfortunately, it was all lies.

You were never as close to HP as you are to me and I'm far away in the USA -- so, not close.

😑

The important bits include that you discovered the pile of rats in your midst and took steps to eradicate the infestation.

You'll want to use your security software to scrub your system of any malware or monitoring software "Barry" and his pals installed on your computer.

-- Dragon Opinion --

Do talk to your bank / credit union -- HP cannot reverse charges made by scammers and thieves.

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Important

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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.

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

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

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• Out-of-Warranty > Paid Subscription or One Time Help: -  HP SmartFriend Services | HP® Official Site
  • Open the SmartFriend Data Sheet - Contact Information 
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Do not be a victim.

Remain vigilant.

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[Sieds1]

Thank you!   Your information was very helpful.

Sieds1

[Homesteadgirl]

The exact same thing happened to me yesterday.  I filed 2 reports with the bbb about smarttechrestore and hp itself because hp doesn't seem to care when that scamming site pops up when we'[re on the hp site.  I'm also disputing the $199 they charged me and changed my cc#.  I have Norton 360 but apparently it didn't do its job.

[Sieds1]

I had to cancel credit card and get Smart Tech Restore / Geek Autobuzz charge reversed.   Very upsetting that I got scammed while I was on HP website trying to get new printer set up.  Even more frustrating was not being able to  contact anyone live at HP to express my concern.   Was only able to get to AI agent , not a real person, which said HP would look into it.   Which as far as I know, never happened.   Hard to know what or who to trust when this happens on HP website, and sorry to hear that it happened to you more than 5 weeks after it happened to me, so clearly HP has done nothing about it.  

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Sieds1 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I clearly understand your concern. We'd hate for you to be stuck in a situation like this. Because you matter to us.

Not to worry I'll do everything I can to help get this sorted for you.

I need some information to assist you better, however these details cannot be shared in public due to privacy concern.

I'm sending you a private message to guide you on the next steps.

To access it, click the private message icon in the upper-right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your name.

If this resolves your issue, kindly mark this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" if it was helpful.

Take care and have a great day!

Regards,

Hawks_Eye

[Sieds1]

OK Hawks_Eye, will try responding to your private message.

I was wondering if you were just another HP bot, but I see that you mention you're an  HP employee.  Tired of dealing with AI.   The information you asked for in your private message was already submitted Feb 6/2026 to your automated agent (I could not reach a live person at HP, only AI generated version personality that was sympathetic and said they took my concern very seriously (but clearly they didn't)..

Will respond to your private message now.

Sieds1

[Sieds1]

Hawks_Eye,

I just tried logging into your private message, but it tells me I lack credentials to log in.  Don't know what that means, but I tried.

Sieds1

[Hawks_Eye]

I understand your concern, and I want to reassure you directly: I am not an automated bot. I’m a real HP employee, and I apologize for any inconvenience or frustration you’ve experienced while trying to get support.

Thank you for clarifying that you already submitted the requested information earlier this year. 

I appreciate your patience in following up, and I’ll do my best to assist you further.

Let me send a private message and you should be able to reply to that.

Regards,

Hawks_Eye

[TomDunkerton]

I had almost the same scenario yesterday. I recently reset my Spectrum router to factory settings and changed the Wi-Fi password.  This caused my two HP printers to not work on the Wi-Fi network. I did a Google search on how to connect the printers and got an AI chat with the HP logo. I stated my problem, and the chat asked if I wanted to be transferred to tech support. I said yes, gave my phone number, and got a call from someone who called himself Paul Walker from Smart Tech Restore.  He convinced me to have him connect to my computer and check my drivers. Long story short, he ran the "eventvwr" Windows command, which showed what I later learned were normal logs about internet activity. He offered to remove "computer worms" from my computer, which he claimed were sending information to malicious sites. Later, he ran "netstat," which showed a large number of "foreign IP addresses" that are outside my local network. Then he offered me very expensive "network protection" software packages.  By this time, I knew it was a scam and refused to pay the $199 for the service of cleaning up my computer. He became irate and accused me of fraud because I had originally given him a verbal agreement to pay upon completion of the work. I told him to send me an invoice and that I would pay him after doing my own research. He sent an email with an invoice and a payment button. The invoice said to pay by March 31. I hung up and shut down all computers to make sure he did not still have access. He called back several times, demanding immediate payment and growing more and more irate. I accused him of harassment and told him I had until March 31 to pay. He finally gave up but said he would call back on Monday, March 30. Based on the information in this thread, I will refuse to pay because he has misrepresented himself and the work he did. Lesson learned: never let anyone have full control of your computer. If they can't guide you through the steps by phone, don't do it. Even then, be careful. If you got scammed, forgive yourself. These guys are good at their con jobs.