Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Travis County District Court granted a temporary restraining order halting the deceptive practices of Latitude Solutions & Consulting LLC and
We Brand Better, LLC, as well as the two individuals who own and operate the companies. Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit also secured an order freezing all of the defendants’ assets so that such assets can be preserved and used to compensate victims following a final trial in the matter.
The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Paxton’s Consumer Protection Division, alleges that Texas resident Harneet Oberoi and Sahil Miglani used deception and scare tactics to trick consumers into paying hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for unnecessary and worthless computer repairs. The defendants’ tech scam generated more than $11 million in revenue, most of which was wired to bank accounts in India.
“I’m pleased that my office’s lawsuit shut down the operators of a major nationwide tech support scam so they are no longer able to take advantage of vulnerable Texans,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This case should serve as a warning that tech support scams and others that prey on vulnerable consumers will not be tolerated in Texas.”
According to the lawsuit, the defendants’ tech support scam used deceptive advertisements designed to look like security alerts from major technology companies. These phony pop-ups warned consumers that their computers were infected with a virus or malware and instructed them to call a number for help fixing the problem. Consumers were deceived into thinking they were calling Microsoft or another reputable tech company, but they were actually calling the defendants. The defendants then scared consumers with false claims about viruses and hackers, and pressured consumers into paying for unnecessary computer repair services, service plans, anti-virus protection, and other products and services.
The defendants operated their scam using a variety of different business names, including My Tech Advise, My Expert Advise, My IT Advise, MTE Solutions US, MTE Help, and My PC Wizard.
Texans who believe they are victims of a scam can file an online complaint with the attorney general’s office at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint. The Federal Trade Commission provides consumers with tips on how to spot, avoid and report tech support scams at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.
View a copy of the lawsuit here.
View a copy of the temporary restraining order here.