Is Premier Tech Support a scam or legitimate?

Definitely not worth using them given Apple Support is free. When they said that they would sue me if I mentioned my concern that they were a scam again, I shut down the computer and called Apple Support. It took Apple tech and a supervisor an hour to extricate all the malware they had inserted into my Macbook Pro.

This is a scam. I spoke to an Apple Tech, he helped me remove all of the software they installed on my computer. He said an Apple computer doesn't need any of the stuff they sell. Move everything to trash and then empty trash. I reported them to BBB.

Read Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages.

You may be the victim of a crime, perhaps a felony offense, but for all you or anyone knows the criminals may be well beyond the reach of your jurisdiction's law enforcement resources.

Your actions at this point can range from doing nothing at all, to erasing the Mac and reconfiguring it. Separately, it would be prudent to assume the intruder has gained sufficient information from it to effectively commit identity theft. Computer tampering and identity theft are legal matters that go well beyond the scope of this support site, and for which you should seek appropriate legal counsel. Therefore I can only offer technical guidance regarding your Mac itself, which may be considered evidence in a criminal proceeding that only you can decide to take upon receiving that counsel.

At a minimum it should be immediately disconnected from the Internet (unplug its Ethernet cable and turn Wi-Fi "off") after which you can decide whether to preserve it in its present condition as evidence, or its contents completely erased, permanently removing that evidence. Decide how you want to proceed and write back.

Dear Mr Galt,

I had exactly the same issue 2 days ago as "the winnman" mentioned above. That is, a message appeared on my Mac's desktop saying that my computer was seriously infected with viruses and malwares and not safe to use it. I then arrived at a pop-up from Premier Tech Support claiming that they could remove any viruses and malwares from my computer. I bought this Mac from the Apple Store in Christiana Mall in Delaware last December, that is, less than a year ago and I thought that Premier Tech Support is affiliated with Apple Store. They told me that my network was not protected that is one of the reason my mac got malwares and viruses by the hacker. They said they would remove all viruses and malwares and the warning message would not appear on my mac again but I had to pay $199. I said I could not afford the fee since I am senior citizen so they agreed to charge me $120. I accepted the offer and let them remove the viruses. They installed Google Chrome and told me to start using it and never ever use Safari again. My question is whether Premier Tech Support is a scam or legitimate. I use my mac for checking emails, doing banking transaction, etc. If this happens again in the future is there a way to reset my Mac to original factory setting?

I would appreciate for your time and advice to my concerns.

Thank you, Mr. Galt

You have been scammed. erase your hard drive and reinstall the operating system. Restore a backup of your data from a date before you gave access to this remote person/company. If you do online banking notify your bank and credit card companies of the intrusion onto your computer.

There is no way for a remote company/person to know if your computer has a virus. It is a phishing scam designed to take advantage of you and charging you for questionable installation of software and removal of non-existent viruses.

If you are uncomfortable reinstalling the operating system take your computer to an Apple store for assistance.

Bob John Galt explains it well. BobTheFisherman also gives great counsel. (sorry John, cart before the horse)

Our friend thomas_r's website has relevant articles on RansomWare > http://www.thesafemac.com/?s=ransomware

John Galt has this User Tip > Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages - which Comprehensive in nature.

Footnoting that User Tip, he has these:

References and other resources:

FBI statement: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/august/new-internet-scam

Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/mmpc/shared/ransomware.aspx

Moneypak: https://www.moneypak.com/ProtectYourMoney.aspx#

Related articles: How to install adware <(tongue is firmly in cheek in this title - insert NOT for accuracy)

My question is whether Premier Tech Support is a scam or legitimate.

"Premier Tech Support" may or may not be be a legitimate company, but the situation you describe is a complete scam if for no other reason than the claims made by the popup "warnings" are literally impossible. The claims they made when you spoke to them are also 100% completely absurd.

It's not even possible to know if the number you called is that of any legitimate organization doing business by any name, or whether you called some schmuck on the other side of the planet armed with nothing but a $10 throwaway phone and computer, maybe one rented by the hour in an Internet cafe. So, the above reply is equally applicable to your circumstance.

It's very disheartening to hear stories such as yours. Although it is very likely that the criminals are simply looking to make a quick buck, it would be irresponsible of me or anyone else to say there is nothing else to worry about. Having allowed unauthorized access to your Mac, there is no way I would be satisfied with anything less than erasing it completely.

You are also very likely to get your $120 charge reversed by calling your credit card issuer. This is an obvious case of fraud.

Many thanks for your comments and share with my concern, Mr. Galt. Per your advice, I called my credit card issuer to get my $120 charge back. I am really sorry that I did not purchase Applecare after I bought my macbook. I just called Applecare and bought it and it's good for 3 years from my purchase date of my Macbook so that Applecare will resolve all issues in the future if there is any.

Once again, I really appreciated your comments.

Sincerely yours,

Thank you for your valuable advice, Bob. I just called Applecare to get the service that is good for 3 years from the purchase date of my Macbook and will never bother to any warning on my macbook from any sources in the future.

Yours sincerely

datwhic

The $120 may be the least of your worriesw if you do not pay heed to this part of John's post

... it would be irresponsible of me or anyone else to say there is nothing else to worry about. Having allowed unauthorized access to your Mac, there is no way I would be satisfied with anything less than erasing it completely.

erase your computer is IMPERATIVE - the nefarious folk may have left hidden access to your Mac - erasing is the only way to be sure.

Great! I think that's a terrific decision. Thanks for the update.

Please ignore the wording on the last line "datwhic" in my last email.

[by a nose, it seems - like your new avatar! - new to me anyway]

Thanks for your advice Chitlins. I will call Applecare to help me. I will not use my MAc until it erases everrything

To be clear... until you take it to the Geniuses > Make a reservation - Genius Bar - unplug it from any wired connection to the Internet, Power it down and unplug the AC power - overkill cannot hurt.

best luck

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