Restoro and Reimage Sued for $26 Million – See? We told you so!

We’ve been warning people about Restoro, Reimage, and all other one-click fixers for a long time. There are many other one-click fixers out there that have not been sued and new ones seem to pop up every day. You’ll see them advertised on television and the web. They all have one common theme: All claim to fix your computer with a click. Just buy the program, run it, and your all Windows troubles are fixed. Just like that.

PT Barnum, the famous circus mogul is rumored to have said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”. We don’t want any of you to be a sucker and fall for these one-click fix programs. So we try to keep you updated and warn you about all one-click fixers, of which Restoro and Reimage are just two. As we always say – if there were such a thing as a one-click fixer, Microsoft would pay billions to buy it and include it with Windows.

Don’t waste your hard-earned money on pie-in-the-sky, one-click fixers.

Nick sent us the following article (Thanks, Nick!) from the Federal Trade Commission. We hope you will take the time to read it.

Tech Support Firms Will Pay $26 Million to Settle FTC Charges That They Deceived Consumers into Buying Repair Services

Two tech support companies will pay $26 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they bilked tens of millions of dollars from consumers, particularly older consumers, by duping them into buying computer repair services in violation of the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule.

In a complaint filed in federal court, the FTC charged that Restoro Cyprus Limited and Reimage Cyprus Limited, both based in Cyprus, tricked consumers into signing up for computer repair services through deceptive marketing.

“These companies used scare tactics and lies about threats to consumers’ personal computers 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.”

Consumers were lured or alarmed by fake Microsoft Windows pop-ups, which stated that the consumers’ computer or system was infected with viruses and urged consumers to “scan” their computers “To avoid more damage.” The FTC charges that, regardless of the actual health of the consumers’ computers, the companies’ scans typically identified purported serious issues that needed immediate attention.

Above: Screenshot of a fake Microsoft Windows pop-up.

Following the scans, the companies urged consumers to purchase its software online to “fix” the alleged problems or remove alleged viruses and malware, according to the complaint. The software’s cost typically ranged from $27 to $58.

After purchasing the software, consumers were provided a number to call to “activate” the software. Thereafter, Restoro and Reimage telemarketers attempted to sell additional services by accessing consumers’ computers and misrepresenting that routine computer errors and messages were signs of malware, viruses or other problems. The companies’ telemarketers routinely claimed that the “problems” on consumers’ computers could not be fixed with the newly purchased software alone and required help from a Restoro or Reimage technician, which cost hundreds of dollars more, according to the complaint.

Under the signed order, Restoro and Reimage are required to pay $26 million, which the FTC intends to use to provide redress to deceived consumers. The order also prohibits Restoro and Reimage from misrepresenting security or performance issues or any other material issues related to the sale, marketing or distribution of any product or service, and from engaging in deceptive telemarketing.

The Commission voted 3-0 to authorize the staff to file the complaint and stipulated final order.

The FTC filed the complaint and stipulated orderin the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia…

Read the entire article here.