FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2019
UTAH AG PARTNERS WITH DOJ, SISTER-STATES IN NATIONAL TAKEDOWN ON TECH SUPPORT SCAMS
SALT LAKE CITY – Today, Attorney
General Sean D. Reyes announced the Utah Attorney General’s Office is
partnering with sister-states and the DOJ as part of a nationwide crackdown on
fraudsters who try to trick consumers into buying costly tech support and
repair services.
Utah, in coordination with attorneys general from across the country through
the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), has joined the U.S.
Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulators
to combat tech support scams. As part of this effort, NAAG
and the Department of Justice announced a sweep
of elder fraud cases and focused particular attention on tech support scams as
a major threat to senior citizens.
These scams work in similar ways. Scammers use phone calls and online ads
resembling security alerts from major technology companies to trick consumers
into contacting the operators of these schemes and providing access to the
consumers’ computers. The scammers will claim consumers’ computers are infected
with viruses or experiencing other problems. They then try to pressure
consumers into buying unnecessary computer repair services, service plans,
anti-virus protection or software, and other products and services.
“We are sending a clear message to scammers that Utah will continue to
aggressively investigate and prosecute these types of frauds. Locally, we are fortunate
to partner with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection on the front line of
stopping scammers,” said Attorney General Reyes.
In Utah, the Utah Attorney General’s Office collaborated with partners in the tech world regarding computer fraud schemes targeting consumers in Utah. Tech company representatives informed investigators that fraudulent businesses, claiming to be affiliated with computer support companies, were contacting computer users via pop-ups and malware, informing them that multiple viruses were found on their computer when in fact, their computers were fine. These criminals would then take over the consumers computer and steal personal information, placing viruses and malware on the computers and then charging to fix the problems.
During the joint investigation, Attorney General Investigators identified multiple businesses using this fraud scheme. Covert investigative methods were utilized by this team revealing the location of these illegitimate businesses. In some cases, our partners had global resources available to contact and shut down these schemes.
Attorneys general through the National Association of Attorneys General, the Department of Justice, and the FTC worked for more than a year on the initiative. In addition to Utah, other state participants included Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington D.C.
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NOTES:
- NAAG press release: https://www.naag.org/naag/media/naag-news/state-attorneys-general-join-federal-agencies-in-tech-support-scam-sweep.php
- Department of Justice press release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-coordinates-largest-ever-nationwide-elder-fraud-sweep-0
