online help

[wsj2015]

last week I installed new modem. printer didn't recognize it so i contacted hp via online chat. after brief chat I received a call helping fix the problem. they accessed my computer, with my permission, cleaned up a trojan virus, downloaded necessary drivers and all is well. They charged $200, approx.

They wanted me to buy $1000 firewall security (1 year). I declined and now they are calling saying they have been monitoring my computer and finding suspicous activity and want to fix it, for free.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is legit??

[Dragon-Fur · Accepted solution]

@wsj2015 

Welcome to the HP Community --

You were never talking to HP -- no matter what  you saw, though, no matter how convinced you are that you landed on the HP Support site -- you were never chatting or talking to HP Support.

Scam - classic and devastating.

The best we can do on this side is report your concerns to our Community Moderators -- should there be a response, look for a message here before the HP agent uses other means to contact you.  An HP agent will NOT just call you or will not suddenly text you.

Now, what?

Letting scoundrels into your computer means that they had access to anything "not tied down" -- documents, pictures, all of it.

Sure, they might have -- and probably did -- leave monitoring software in your computer.

No, computer was never full of bugs, in fact.

Might be "buggy" now, but it was not damaged before the rascals took a walk in your file system.

If you are happy with the initial help and results -- then that's up to you.

Some of of the suggested cleanup...

• Contact Apple Support to see about clearing these rats out of your computer.
• Contact your Bank if you want to do so.
• Change all your passwords if you are concerned that the rats found unencrypted files containing login or other sensitive information.
• Block calls from pretty much everyone you don't know, at least for a while.   Your phone number is now perhaps "public" and being shared with other scammers.
• Report the incident to the authorities.

READ – Be Informed – Be Aware

 HP Fraud Alert: Protecting Yourself from Scams | HP® Official Site

 HP Fraud Alert: Protect Yourself from Scams, Report Suspicious Calls

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People who own, use, and support HP devices.

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Question / Concern Answered, Click my Post "Accept as Solution"

[wsj2015]

Thanks....Right after I posted to the community I spoke with HP and shared my history so they could see the sequence of events. They have now elevated this to their Cyber Security. The company involved is called Digihubsetup,com. They co-opted 123.hp.com and did their thing using another India based company Mystic Care LLC. to process the payment. Between Hp, Apple, and my credit card company there's no harm done to me, but others could be especially affected.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful and thorough response.

[Dragon-Fur]

@wsj2015 

You are welcome.

Good Job following up and taking action.

HP is certainly not the only decent company fighting off hordes of bandits.

The Internet is both wonderful and a very scary place.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community --

People who own, use, and support HP devices.

Click Yes to say Thank You

Question / Concern Answered, Click my Post "Accept as Solution"