Source: www.ftc.gov

The Federal Trade Commission is sending refund checks totaling more than $34 million to consumers who allegedly were tricked by Office Depot, Inc. and a software provider into buying computer repair products and services.

Office Depot paid $25 million while its software supplier, Support.com, Inc., paid $10 million as part of 2019 settlements with the FTC. The FTC alleged that Office Depot and Support.com configured a virus scanning program to report that it found symptoms of malware or infections—even when that was not true—whenever consumers answered yes to at least one of four "diagnostic" questions.

The false scan results were then used to persuade consumers to purchase computer repair and technical services that could cost hundreds of dollars.