The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is distributing more than $25.5 million to consumers who were tricked into purchasing unnecessary computer repair services by two tech support companies, Restoro Cyprus Limited and Reimage Cyprus Limited. The payments come as part of a $26 million settlement with the companies, which were accused of using deceptive marketing tactics to exploit consumers, particularly older adults.
In a March 2024 complaint, the FTC alleged that Restoro and Reimage used fake Microsoft Windows pop-ups to falsely claim that consumers’ computers were infected with viruses. These pop-ups urged users to run scans, which invariably identified nonexistent issues requiring immediate repair. Consumers were then pressured to purchase software ranging from $27 to $58, followed by additional services costing hundreds of dollars more.
“These companies used scare tactics and lies to bilk consumers, particularly older consumers, out of tens of millions of dollars,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We have taken decisive action to halt this scheme and return money to consumers.”
As part of the settlement, Restoro and Reimage are prohibited from misrepresenting security or performance issues and from engaging in deceptive telemarketing practices. The FTC will send 736,375 PayPal payments to affected consumers on March 13 and 14, with recipients required to redeem their payments within 30 days.
Consumers with questions about their refund can contact the redress administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., at 844-590-1102 or visit the FTC’s website for more information. The FTC emphasizes that it never requires payment or account information to process refunds.
