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Company accused of Microsoft scam shut down by judge [Asbury Park Press, N.J.](Asbury Park Press (NJ) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 25--A federal court has turned off a company where callers masqueraded as Microsoft and tricked computer users into buying hundreds of dollars of supposed technical support services they didn't need. According to the Federal Trade Commission, representatives of Albany, New York-based Pairsys Inc. cold called consumers, including senior citizens, pretending to be from Microsoft or Facebook. Scammers, located in an overseas call center, would convince a consumer to allow them to take control over the person's computer so they could analyze supposed problems. The FTC said the fraudster would lead the person to believe that benign parts of the computer's operating systems were viruses and malware, an infection that had be "repaired" immediately. Scam alert! Watch for fake Microsoft warnings At that point, consumers were pressured into paying for bogus warranty programs and software, otherwise available for free, at a cost of $149 to $240 or as high as $600, the FTC said, alleging the company raked in nearly $2.5 million on the scam since 2012. A federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the company earlier in October. "The defendants behind Pairsys targeted seniors and other vulnerable populations, preying on their lack of computer knowledge to sell 'security' software and programs that had no value at all," said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. "We are pleased that the court has shut down the company for now, and we look forward to getting consumers' money back in their pockets." David P. Willis: 732-643-4039; [email protected]; facebook.com/dpwillis732 ___ (c)2014 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |