Tech-support scam victims to share in millions

The Federal Trade Commission will begin mailing 36,830 checks totaling $10,158,601, to consumers who lost money to a technical support scam, officials announced.

Inbound Call Experts LLC, doing business as Advanced Tech Support, along with other defendants, agreed to pay more than $10 million as part of a settlement with the FTC, the FTC said last week.

According to the FTC, the defendants used high-pressure sales pitches to market tech support products and services by falsely claiming to find viruses and malware on people’s computers.

The average refund amount is $277.44. Recipients should deposit or cash checks within 60 days. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check.

If recipients have questions about the refunds, they should contact the FTC’s refund administrator, Analytics at 1-877-793-0908.

Those who believe they’ve been a victim of this scam are asked to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov