Description

THIS IS AN HP PRINTER TECH SUPPORT SCAM. I needed assistance with my HP printer, and found a phone number on the Internet that appeared to be HP (Hewlett-Packard) technical support. I called it, and the person who answered took my phone number and said I could expect a call back in 5 minutes. The person who called back directed me to a website, and I realized he was having me download software to allow screen sharing ("Go To Assist"). I questioned this and said I did not want to download software. He said this was standard. He then wanted to screen share and I told him I didn't really want to do it and he said "See, you can end screen sharing anytime you want." He did some trouble-shooting on the printer (had me remove cartridges, put them back in, and he printed a few files and asked me what they looked like). He then said he would need to troubleshoot some more and would call me back. This seemed very suspicious to me. After he hung up, I ended the screen sharing. A few minutes later I got a call back and they said "You stopped screen sharing. You need to keep screen sharing." He tried to get me to go to the same website as before. I got very suspicious. Apple has never required me to keep screen sharing! I told him I needed to hang up. He called back 4 times in quick succession and I didn't answer the phone. I then called Apple Support (saved in my phone) and asked for their advice on checking my computer for spyware. Fortunately, I had experience with Apple technical support from the past and knew their protocols, and this set of calls grew increasingly suspicious.