In-Store Malware Scam
According to Kim Komando, there has been quite the controversy regarding Office Depot erroneously deeming various computers with malware. These computers were brand new, just out of the box, and never connected to the internet. So how could they have possibly been infected? They weren’t.
Jesse Jones, from KIRO 7, took six brand new computers to Office Depot locations in Washington and Oregon for diagnostics testing. After being tested with Office Depot’s PC Health Check, four of the six had confirmed reports of malware. This would require remediation efforts costing $180.
Jones then took the PCs elsewhere, where all six were confirmed malware free. This begs the question, was this an in-store customer service scam? Or simply an error with the diagnostic program?
Office Depot was informed of the issue, and confirmed they have ceased the use of PC Health Check. The Federal Trade Commission has been notified by Washington Senator, Maria Cantwell, in hopes an investigation will be launched.
Moving forward
As you purchase your holiday computers, please keep in mind a new PC that has never been online should never have the opportunity to be infected with malware. That being said, most new PCs are only offline for a very limited time. Please be sure your anti-virus protection is active prior to connecting to WiFi or any form of internet connection.
For advanced protection against malware, it is encouraged users implement a security solution that includes application whitelisting. PC Matic is available for home users, and also includes free cyber security training, PC optimization tools to keep your new PC running at peak performance, adblocking technology, and patch management to keep all of your applications and operating system free from security vulnerabilities.
