The US Federal Trade Commission says two antivirus software products, Restoro and Reimage, are actually fake products that have allegedly conned buyers out of "ten of millions" of dollars, according to a lawsuit filed by the government agency.FTC investigators reportedly went undercover and bought the allegedly malicious software four times. They found that in all instances, the software lied, telling them that they had a host of viruses and security issues on their computers when in actuality, they did not. 404Media and Court Watch first reported the news.One Restoro scan told the FTC that it supposedly had a staggering 522 issues with their test computer that needed repair. A Reimage scan found 1,244 so-called "issues," which the software described as "PC privacy issues," "junk files," "crashed programs," and "broken registry issues." But these issues were actually just part of an effort to sell buyers bogus "repair" tools, according to the complaint.Upon installation, the software prompted the user to call a phone number to "activate" the software. But the FTC argues that this is also a part of the scheme, as the phone call sends users to a person who tries to further upsell the customer on more computer "repair services" over the phone, the lawsuit alleges.The FTC says the software programs, which both come from the same location in Cyprus, have effectively deceived customers out of "tens of millions" of dollars. So many customers demanded refunds through credit card chargebacks that Reimage was added to a risk-monitoring program in 2019. Many others filed complaints online, saying the products are a scam.In 2020, Visa also alleged that the individuals behind the software are engaging in "fraudulent behavior," the suit states. Visa subsequently put one of the companies connected to Restoro on a watch list in 2021 because of the high number of buyer chargeback requests. The FTC is now charging Restoro and Reimage for allegedly misrepresenting the products and violating US telemarketing rules. It's also worried the bad actors behind it won't stop, writing that the creators of Restoro and Reimage will likely "continue to injure consumers and harm the public interest" unless action is taken. "Older consumers" are specifically at risk, the FTC says.While there are plenty of fake or malicious antivirus products out there, there are some good ones, too. Be wary of internet pop-ups and emails pushing antivirus software, and always be sure to thoroughly research an antivirus product before making a purchase.
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The US Federal Trade Commission says two antivirus software products, Restoro and Reimage, are actually fake products that have allegedly conned buyers out of "ten of millions" of dollars, according to a lawsuit filed by the government agency.FTC investigators reportedly went undercover and bought the allegedly malicious software four times. They found that in all instances, the software lied, telling them that they had a host of viruses and security issues on their computers when in actuality, they did not. 404Media and Court Watch first reported the news.One Restoro scan told the FTC that it supposedly had a staggering 522 issues with their test computer that needed repair. A Reimage scan found 1,244 so-called "issues," which the software described as "PC privacy issues," "junk files," "crashed programs," and "broken registry issues." But these issues were actually just part of an effort to sell buyers bogus "repair" tools, according to the complaint.Upon installation, the software prompted the user to call a phone number to "activate" the software. But the FTC argues that this is also a part of the scheme, as the phone call sends users to a person who tries to further upsell the customer on more computer "repair services" over the phone, the lawsuit alleges.The FTC says the software programs, which both come from the same location in Cyprus, have effectively deceived customers out of "tens of millions" of dollars. So many customers demanded refunds through credit card chargebacks that Reimage was added to a risk-monitoring program in 2019. Many others filed complaints online, saying the products are a scam.In 2020, Visa also alleged that the individuals behind the software are engaging in "fraudulent behavior," the suit states. Visa subsequently put one of the companies connected to Restoro on a watch list in 2021 because of the high number of buyer chargeback requests. The FTC is now charging Restoro and Reimage for allegedly misrepresenting the products and violating US telemarketing rules. It's also worried the bad actors behind it won't stop, writing that the creators of Restoro and Reimage will likely "continue to injure consumers and harm the public interest" unless action is taken. "Older consumers" are specifically at risk, the FTC says.While there are plenty of fake or malicious antivirus products out there, there are some good ones, too. Be wary of internet pop-ups and emails pushing antivirus software, and always be sure to thoroughly research an antivirus product before making a purchase.