AnyTech 365 Scam? Search for information.

I fell for this company's routine the other day when a pop up on my computer kept reminding me that my Panda Security was running out. I was tired and annoyed as I knew it was fine so I made the mistake of clicking it to contact them to verify it - of course this linked me to AnyTech and then the scam started - I was assured that I shouldn't be seeing the popup and that I obviously had malware on my computer. They told me they were the 'technical division' of Panda Security and of course I had no reason to disbelieve them - the pop up is clever and is overlaid on the Panda banner so it looks real! I allowed them in to my computer to do the 'clean up' and then was persuaded to commit to an expensive contract - luckily my credit card was not accepted but I am sure it was just a ruse anyway to actually get the card details. I notified the bank and cancelled the card etc, changed all my passwords and have not purchased a new computer so that they cannot get to me through my IP address. It is all very annoying and time consuming. I used their 'contract' which has a customer 30 day cancellation clause to 'cancel my contract' - not that I think it even exists but at least I have followed the 'legalese' on this. I have also notified them that at the very least they used misleading sales techniques to get me to commit and therefore it is nullified for me and I have told the bank have been notified and fraud action will ensue if they attempt to take payment. Lesson learned - don't click on ANYTHING that pops up even if it looks genuine!! And never, ever, ever let anyone into your computer! Of course this is why they target small business people like me, they know we are overworked, tired and can't be bothered with all the computer issues so it's a tempting proposition to have someone else do it all for you. Oh and by the way, after they had done the 'Clean up' the only difference on my computer was that my cookies were all wiped so I had to input all my passwords again - and then I had to change the damned things!!! Also the original 'pop up' which they said was malware - well that is still popping up! So much for the service! Be aware folks, this may not be your normal 'scam' where they hack in and destroy etc, but it is most definitely a 'service scam' big money, not much of a service!

Thank you for your information, Janet Roche.

What you write fits exactly into one of the patterns that we have identified as typical from other experience reports that we have seen mostly in the German language community.

AnyTech365 seems to have "collaborations" with a different vendors of often very questionable software "tools" like the "PChelpsoft driver updater" that you mentioned. (According to the German discussion the guy who seems to run AnyTech365 - Janus Nielsen - is also responsible for Reimage Repair which is a notorious tool of this nature. So it's possible that also some of the other tools that "deliver" you to AnyTech are operated by the same people as AnyTech.)

Those "tools" usually seem to follow their own scam scheme (like fabricating issues on your computer which don't actually exist and then make you pay to solve those imaginary problems) and in addition to it they send you to AnyTech for "activation" or something.

Once you have AnyTech on the phone, they'll install their tools which again will show fabricated messages about problems on your computer.

Those fake problems are then used to explain why you should buy their "support" subscription.

I'm glad that you didn't fall for it. And I hope you'll find somebody who'll solve your actual printing problems. But I'm sure there will be some local IT expert that can assist you and doesn't try to sell you a subscription to solve made up problems.

Long story. My Canon5050 was coming up with an error message not connected to a driver so I searched for a solution. Came across a site 'PChelpsoft Driver updater'. Being in a rush to use my printer I paid around £50 for the software. I installed and ran a scan which revealed several drivers needed updating. I duly updated but printer still not connecting to a driver. Meantime, I received a text from PC Helpsoft saying 'If you need to activate your software call us free'. I called the number, waited 30 minutes and finally got through to a technician, Joshua. He was very helpful and spent a LONG time remotely accessing my computer. At one time he advised he would ring off while he investigated issues further. He called me back and advised he had found over 400 issues and would pass me through to another technician who would resolve problems, but it became clear this would not be free. He then proceeded to talk me through a list of advantages of signing up to AnyTech 365 - 3 levels of service ranging from around £299 for 6 months subscription to around £499. I told him that as I am a pensioner I would go for the lowest cost service but as I was thinking about it alarm bells sounded - why would I pay upfront for a 'service' I have never heard of? Joshua then took me to a page which required my bank details and explained that he would come out of the remote access while I entered my details. At which point I logged out and hung up. He called me straight back and the number came up as 'potential scam' . Which I firmly believe it is. I'm 73 and not smart enough to fix the issue with my printer but smart enough not to hand over my bank details willy nilly. Please beware everyone! Both of PChelp soft and AnyTech 645. Incidentally, to add insult to injury I'm still unable to print!

I am sorry to hear that a good company has been targeted by scammers in the process of scamming us.

That's probably not the case, though.

According to the information that has been gathered so far, the "real" company AnyTech365 is engaged in fraudulent activity.

Here I copy & paste the reply of somebody who posted in the German language Microsoft Community forums and claims to have worked for a call center related to AnyTech 365. It might be interesting for the English speaking readers too:

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Anytech365 does not exist, it is just an entry in the Spanish company register. The operative arm of the company is located partly in Morocco and partly in the Philippines. In the Philippines there is a company Reimage Philippines, Inc. that only exists on paper. In fact, she has rented a call center from Xceed, Inc. in Makati, RCB Tower, and from there she handles the business of Anytech365, Reimage and Restoro: it is there that calls from the USA / UK, Germany and further states are diverted and processed. Allegedly these are applications developed by an Israeli software company, to what extent this is true or not is not yet clear. What exactly this software does is also not clear. I worked in Makati for about a month and a half and was fired on the grounds that I was not making $ 1,000 a day in revenue. There are around 100 scammers in the Makati call center who have to turn these technical support services on to callers who call about the activation of Restoro or Reimage all day. It's all about turning. People are trained to cheat, lie and go crazy. If you don't do that, you'll be kicked out. The technical support is miserable, and staff-wise miserable: There are no more than three or four technicians per shift who work and make so many mistakes that the credit card amounts booked very often have to be reimbursed on the same day. Remote technical support is of course legal, what is not legal is that people are told stories that the viruses stay on your computers even if they format and reinstall the hard drives themselves and the like. They also want to sell technical support subscriptions to perfectly functioning computers. Lies about viruses and other technical problems with PCs to the ignorant are made non-stop. Furthermore, from the Philippines you not only access EU credit cards and bank accounts, but also PCs and email accounts, which are or should be protected not only by the Basic Law, but also by a number of EU laws. Legal problems or barriers, including labor law, are not known in this company. The sales not only usually lie to old people, but they actually abuse them on the phone: those who do not want to buy are yelled at until they buy. It's amazing that some people decide to buy instead of hanging up.

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(Text source: user "LukasHoffmann5" at the bottom of this page.)