Complaints were filed with the FTC about users being scammed by fake websites offering printer drivers for their Canon printers.
Gizomodo discovered the scamming websites by filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for consumer complaints about Canon. This revealed further complaints about similar complaints filed of fake websites for companies like AirBnb, Binance and Tinder (and more).
In the investigation, the website Gizmodo uncovered that there is a new cottage industry, scamming Canon printer users, who unsuspectingly want to download their printer drivers, and fail. Once the users’ download failed the scam website brings up a chat called “customer service”.
Once the users started chatting with the scammers Gizmodo revealed that “Sometimes, the scammers would simply ask for money to fix the imaginary problem. Other times, the scammers would lure the unsuspecting victims into handing over remote access to their computers.”
Through phone numbers and download links to “support packages”, the scammers also manage to steal users money.
Gizmodo listed some of the fake websites as:
- canonijcomsetup.com
- canon-com-ijsetup.com
- canon.com-ijsetup.com
- ij-start-canon.us
- ijcanonsetup.com
- printersetup.org/canon-printer-setup
- canonijstart.co
- ijstartcanon.com
Some of the problems in the complaints can be read here.
