Office Depot $300 scam – yes, it really happened

I’m sure you’ve heard something about the Office Depot $300 fraud. For a thorough explanation, see https://cybersafetynet.net/office-depot-faked-malware-scans-to-sell-unneeded-300-tech-services/. Basically, Office Depot’s malware scan reported malware on computers that did not have malware. Office Depot then sold an unnecessary $300 service. Today I am writing about how that would look in other industries.

We have a high level of trust in those who provide professional services. We go to them when we sense a problem and need their training, judgement and professionalism to turn the problem into a solution. Let’s see how this would play out in another industry.

Electrical

Your kitchen has a refrigerator, microwave oven and coffee maker. You discover that you can run two at the same time, but not all three. If you try, you blow a circuit breaker. You call an electrician and he looks at your breaker panel. If he were pushing a fraud, like Office Depot did, he would tell you get a new breaker panel. This one is old and the contacts are unreliable. Total cost: $800. If he is honest, he will tell you to replace the breaker ($10) or just avoid running all three appliances at the same time.

Tire repair

You are driving one day and notice a bumpy feel from the front left corner of your car. You go to a tire repair shop and report the symptoms. If they were pushing a fraud, like Office Depot did, they would tell you to replace the tire. In fact, you have to replace two at the same time. Total cost: $600. If they are honest, they would find the pebble, remove it from the tread and charge $20 for their time or just let you go at no cost.

Dentist

Your teeth hurt. They hurt for a few days after using a home tooth whitening kit. You visit the Dentist and report the tooth pain. You also say it happens after using the home whitening kit. If the Dentist were pushing a fraud, like Office Depot did, he would tell you he has to extract the teeth. They are old and hyper sensitive. Total cost: $1000. If he were honest, he would give you a toothpaste that soothes the discomfort from the whitening kit. He may or may not charge your for this toothpaste. You use this toothpaste a few times and viola! No more pain after bleaching your teeth.

That, my friends, is why this Office Depot fraud has been exposed. We trust professionals for their advice. We are at their mercy. Time for an honest solution, not a rip-off.

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Originally reposted from https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/03/office-depot-tricked-people-into-buying-pc-support-with-fake-virus-scans/. Cyber Safety Net – Keeping you safe online. See https://cybersafetynet.net/cyber-security-awareness-training/ to train and strengthen your human firewall. See https://youtu.be/UFpFesrcnvY and https://www.knowbe4.com/security-awareness-training-features/ to learn more.