COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed a lawsuit against Prime Technologies LLC and operator Linda Brown Massey, alleging the company tricked consumers into thinking their computers were infected with a virus in order to profit.
The defendants purportedly contacted consumers and told them a virus from Russia or Nigeria had infected their computer. According to the complaint, the defendants then charged the consumers anywhere from $200 to more than $15,000 to remove the virus.
Once consumers had paid for the service, the defendants would allegedly install faulty malware protection and anti-virus programs.
“Our goal is to protect Ohioans and to hold con artists accountable,” DeWine said. “When someone calls you unexpectedly and tells you your computer is infected with a virus, it’s almost always a scam.”
DeWine’s office charged the defendants with violating the state’s Consumer Sales Practice Act and Telephone Solicitation Sales Act. DeWine will look for reimbursement for consumers and an injunction to stop the defendants from future violations of the state’s laws.